Guidelines

for
Internship
SRI LANKA MEDICAL COUNCIL
REVISED 2013
 INSTRUCTIONS FOR PRINTING THE EVALUATION BOOK
(MEDICAL GRADUATES)
Please follow the below instructions when taking the printout:
1. Form A should be printed as a single document and the reverse should be blank.

2. Every progress report should have “Reported commendable events” page on the
reverse. (Only Progress Report-1,2,3, 4 (SLMC Copy) should be submitted during
registration)
3. Form B should be printed as a single document and the reverse should be blank.

4. Form C is considered as a single document where PART A & Part B should be

printed on both sides of the paper. (PART A front page & on reverse PART B) -
Separate prints of Part A & B is NOT accepted.
5. Form D should be printed as a single document and the reverse should be blank.

6. The application for SLMC ID Card should be printed as a single document and the
reverse should be blank.
Document submission dates will be given later after completion of your internship. This
notice is published only to print and prepare the documents.

Registrar
17.03.2023
-/sss
 GUIDELINES FOR INTERNSHIP OF MEDICAL
PRACTITIONERS

General
The pre-registration (Internship) appointment is a continuation of the medical
education programme of a medical practitioner and a requirement for Registration
in the Medical Council as a Medical Practitioner.

The Intern Medical Officer is a trainee and shall be under the administrative control
of the Head of the Institution (Director/Medical Superintendent of the hospital) to
which the intern, is appointed. The intern would be assigned to a Consultant and
shall work under his/her guidance and supervision. Senior House Officers/
Registrars/ Senior Registrars are available in the unit, depending on the type of
hospital. The intern should seek their guidance and assistance at all times.

Dress
The intern should be neatly dressed in keeping with the dignity of the medical
profession, and wear a white overcoat while on duty. The recommended dress for
a gentleman is trousers, shirt and tie with shoes and for a lady, saree, a long skirt
and blouse, or a shalwar kameez with appropriate footwear. The Identity card
issued by the Medical Council should be worn while on duty.

Quarters
The Intern Medical Officer would be provided with quarters free of rent. On being
appointed to an institution the intern shall report to the Head of the Institution, who
would assign accommodation. Inventories of the assigned quarters must be taken
over by the intern.
All inventory items are government property and the intern is expected to look after
them carefully and be responsible for them. Inventories need to be handed over to

1
the Head of the Institution on completion of internship. The intern should consult
the Head of the Institution for any clarification in respect of any problem that may
arise regarding quarters or other facilities. On completion of internship, the quarters
must be vacated even if they continue to work in the same station. All rules and
regulations governing government quarters should be strictly adhered to.

Allocation of Appointment
The Head of the Institution would allocate both appointments to Intern Medical
Officers on the first day. Generally, there are two methods of allocation. One is by
general consensus of all involved. The other is based on the merit or rank order and
the choice is by the intern. Two appointments of six months each should be
completed. The internship appointments could be in Medicine or Pediatrics, and
either General Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology or Pediatric Surgery. In
exceptional instance, a combination of Surgery and Obstetrics and Gynecology is
accepted. The combinations that are not accepted are: Medicine and Pediatrics,
Surgery and Pediatric Surgery, Pediatrics and Pediatrics Surgery. In case of doubt
the Sri Lanka Medical Council should be consulted.

Duty Hours
The duty hours are 8.00 a.m. to 12 noon and 2.00 p.m. to 4.00 p.m. During these
times the interns must be physically present at the workplace. Outside these times
the intern should be 'on-call' to the unit. Arrangements for 'on-call' duties and
working during weekends and public holidays should be made in consultation with
the Head of the Institution/Unit, based on the requirements of the Sri Lanka
Medical Council.

When an intern goes off duty for the day or weekend, he/she should intimate to the
officer on duty the condition of the patients under his/her care. The weekend
commences at 12 noon on Saturday and ends at 8.00 a.m. on Monday. The interns
who have been off for the night or weekend, should on their return familiarize
themselves with the patients under their care before the Consultant commences the
ward round.

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Maintenance of the Diary
Every intern should maintain a diary provided by the Institution. The time of arrival
in the ward, the time of departure, time of night rounds and any special activities
carried out should be recorded daily in the diary. The Head of the Institution and
the Consultant should peruse and initial the diary at least once a month.

Attitude
The intern should at all times be kind and courteous to patients. Any complaint of
discourtesy or harassment would be viewed seriously and is liable for disciplinary
action. The Intern should keep the patient and the relations informed about the
condition of the patient and answer any queries that may arise.

Work and Conduct

The work and conduct of Intern Medical Officers must be exemplary. They should
maintain the dignity of the noble profession to which they belong. Heads of
Institutions as well as Consultants will closely supervise the work and conduct of
interns. Violations of rules in respect of work and conduct, neglect of patient
care, duties and responsibilities would be viewed seriously and would make
the intern liable to repeat the internship for varying periods depending on the
gravity of the offence. It should be Noted that repetition of internship would
be without pay and would delay registration by period.

Private Practice
Interns are not allowed to engage in any form of private practice. They should
strictly adhere to this rule. Interns found guilty of engaging in private practice
would be severely dealt with including cancellation of their appointments. Head of
Institutions should ensure that this rule is strictly enforced.

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Work in the Units/Wards
The work in the wards is based on the Unit System. Interns should work only in the
unit to which they are assigned. In exceptional circumstances, the intern may be
requested to work outside his/ her unit by the Head of the Institution with the
concurrence of the Consult ant, and the intern should comply.

Each -Unit would be assigned at least three intern medical officers. There would
be a fixed cadre of interns for each unit and the number would depend on the
workload in the unit. The intern is advised to be in the ward by 7.30a.m. or earlier.
The intern should be well informed of the condition of the patients under his/her
care. Interns must do a complete ward round in the morning before the Consultant's
ward round, and enter the patients' clinical notes daily.

They should ensure that the investigations ordered are carried out or arranged. All
acutely ill patients should be given priority and must also be examined in the
afternoon and night, and more often as required. Proper records must be maintained
on all patients examined.

The Intern should promptly attend on a patient when summoned by the ward sister
or nurse.

Under no circumstances should treatment be prescribed over the telephone. Every

patient must be seen before prescribing treatment or advising on management.

During ward rounds, interns should switch off cellular phones in their possession.

Records of Patients’ Clinical Notes (B.H.T.) - New Admission, Diagnosis etc.

The Intern Medical Officer should clerk all new admissions to the ward and write
detailed clinical histories. The importance of eliciting and recording a relevant
clinical history cannot be over emphasized. All patients admitted to the ward should
be seen with minimum delay. Those admitted in the morning must be seen before
12.00 noon and those admitted in the afternoon before 4.00 p.m.

However, all admissions that are 'stamped' as urgent by the admitting officer must
be seen immediately. It is important to record on the clinical notes (B.H.T.) the date
and time a patient is first seen. After the initial clerking of a patient, a provisional
4
or differential diagnosis should be made based on the symptoms and signs, and
entered in the clinical notes.

The condition of seriously ill patients should be regularly monitored and the
SHO/Registrar/Consultant kept informed. The intern should not hesitate to
summon the SHO/Registrar/Consultant at any time of the day or night, if the
necessity arises. When a call is sent to the SHO/Registrar/Consultant, the intern
should enter on the clinical notes the time the call was sent. Daily record of the
condition of the patient should be entered in detail. When a patient is on a regimen
of treatment, the response of the patient should be monitored and reviewed and
brought to the notice of SHO/Registrar/ Consultant. All reports of investigations
should be seen by the intern, relevant in formation entered in the clinical notes and
attached to it in chronological order. Abbreviations used should only be the
standard, commonly accepted ones.

Referring a patient in the unit to personnel outside the unit is not the duty of the
intern, unless instructed to do so by the Consultant. In 'exceptional' circumstances,
he/she may have to use his/her discretion in this regard.

All entries in the clinical notes should be neat, legible and written in ink. Every
sheet of the clinical notes should bear the name, reference (B.H.T.) number and the
number of the ward. All operations and intervention procedures, transfusions and
instructions given by the Consultant should be recorded in the clinical notes.

When investigations are completed and the final diagnosis arrived at, or when the
patient is discharged, the final diagnosis should be entered in the admission sheet
in block capitals in the space provided. The diagnosis should be according to the
International Classification of Diseases (ICD). The intern should ensure that
clinical notes (B.H.T.) do not accumulate in the ward due to delay in entering the
diagnosis.

Prescribing
Great care should be exercised in prescribing drugs. As far as possible drugs in the
hospital formulary must be prescribed. Prescription should be by generic name. It
is important to enter the dose, the number of times the drug needs to be
administered during a 24-hour period and the route of administration. It is advisable
5
for the intern inquire from the patient from time to time, as to whether the drugs
prescribed have been administered.
A drug which is not available in the hospital but essential for the patient may have
to be purchased locally. However, such local purchase of drugs should be kept to a
minimum. When a drug needs to be purchased locally, the Consultant's
authorization is necessary before the request is sent to the Head of the Institution.
The intern should be aware of the cost of the drugs and avoid excessive use of
drugs. The treatment afforded to a patient must be reviewed regularly so as to
ascertain the need for continuation of the drugs. Use of a combination of many
drugs for a single complaint, ('polypharmacy') must be avoided.

Surgical Operations
Before any surgical procedure, written consent of the patient should be taken and
duly recorded on the clinical notes (B.H.T.). In the case of minors or unconscious
patients, the closest relative or the guardian may grant such consent. In very rare
Instances, as a life saving measure, the Head of the Institution could grant consent
in the absence of a relative or guardian. In such instances, the relative or guardian
should be informed by telegram of the date and time of the operation. All patients
undergoing surgery should have their clinical status and the reports of
investigations recorded in the notes. The list for operations to be performed should
be prepared in triplicate, and copies sent to the Head of the Institution, the
Anaesthetist and the Sister in Charge of the Operating Theatre. In the case of
routine morning (a.m.) operations, the lists must reach the above mentioned
persons by 12 noon the previous day, and for routine afternoon (p.m.) operations
by 9.00 a.m. of the same day. All operations must be entered in detail in the clinical
notes and in the register of minor/major operations maintained in the Operating
Theatre. The responsibility of obtaining blood for routine operations rests with the
Intern Medical Officer.

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Investigations
(a) Laboratory Investigations

Requests for laboratory investigations should be on the prescribed forms. They

should be requested on a rational basis. A short clinical history should be entered
in the space provided in the form. The Investigation form must be completed in
full. The name of the patient, BHT number and the ward should be legibly entered.
The intern needs to ensure that the specimen with the requisite form is sent to the
laboratory well in time. When an investigation is required urgently, this should be
marked 'urgent' on the form and the time of the request also entered.

(b) Radiological Examinations

Requests for radiological examinations must be made on the prescribed request

form. In every instance, a brief clinical history must be entered in the request form.

In respect of special examinations such as a Barium meal, Barium enema, IVU

examination, dates would have to be obtained from the Radiology Department.
When an appointment has been made for these examinations, any cancellation
should be intimated to the Radiology Department well in advance.

(c) Ultra Sound and CT Scan examinations

Dates have to be obtained from the Radiology Department for the Above
examinations and cancellation would have to be informed well in advance.

(d) The interns should be able to take an Electrocardiogram (ECG) recording if the
need arises.

Blood Transfusions
When a patient requires a blood transfusion, the relatives may be requested to
donate blood. Before transfusing blood or blood products, it is the responsibility of
the intern to check that the blood is of the correct group and that the compatibility
test reports on the pack and the clinical notes tally.

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Critically Ill Patients
Regular attention of the intern is necessary in respect of critically ill patients. In
most institutions, Intensive/Critical Care Units exist and the intern should discuss
with the Consultant/Registrar/SHO the need to transfer the patient to such a Unit.
When a patient is admitted to the Intensive Care Unit, the intern must continue to
follow up the patient. The relative must be kept informed of the condition of the
patient. The procedure is for the intern to write to the hospital Office in the clinical
notes and inform the relatives when the condition of the Patient deteriorates or is
poor.

Follow-up Patients
If a patient who had been treated in a unit is subsequently admitted to another Unit
of the same hospital, with a complaint which may or may not be related to the
previous illness for which the patient was warded, the patient may be transferred to
the unit where the patient was warded earlier. The history of the patient should be
written by the intern of the unit to which the patient was admitted and treatment
commenced before transferring the patient.

Discharge of Patients

When a patient is discharged from the ward, the patient's condition before discharge
and the date and time of discharge should be entered in the clinical notes. On
discharge, the patient must be given a Diagnosis Card with details of investigations,
Operation performed (with the finding), the diagnosis and the treatment given. If a
patient is required to attend the clinic for follow -up, this should be entered in the
Diagnosis Card. All patients leaving the ward should have their clinical notes duly
completed on the same day and signed by the intern.
Wherever possible adequate notice should be given to the patient regarding
discharge, so that arrangements could be made for the patient to go home. If a
patient had been transferred from another hospital, and requires further care at that
hospital, the patient may be transferred. Adequate information should be given in
the transfer form regarding the condition of the patient, diagnosis and further
management. If a patient is transferred from a Mental or Prison hospital, the patient

8
must be transferred back to that hospital. The final diagnosis should be seen by the
Consult ant.

Transfer of Patients
When transferring a patient from one institution to another, Form Health 946
should be completely filled stating the reason for transfer. In addition, a short
clinical history, probable diagnosis, report of relevant investigations done and the
treatment given should also be included. If an operation is likely to be performed,
a letter of consent should be obtained prior to transfer. When transferring children
or unconscious patients who need immediate surgical intervention, consent for
operation should be obtained in writing from the parent or guardian. All transfers
must be recommended by the Consultant and authorized by the Head of the
Institution.

Leave to Patients
Requests for leave by patients should be entered in the clinical notes and submitted
to the Head of the Institution for approval if the patient is fit to avail of such leave.
When leave is requested, the Intern Medical Officer should state the period, the
date and time of commencement of the leave. Leave should be granted for few
hours only and overnight stay not allowed. The time of departure and arrival of the
patient should be recorded in the clinical notes.

Valuables of Patients
Patients should be informed at the time of admission that money and other
valuables must be handed over to the Sister or Nurse in-charge of the ward, and
that the hospital authorities would not be responsible for the loss of any such items
not handed over. All articles handed over are entered in a Patient's Property
Register. The valuables should be sent to the hospital office for safe custody. These
would be returned to the patient at the time of discharge.

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Members of the Clergy
Venerable monks and nuns, and priests of all religions should be afforded privacy
and due respect in a general ward. Clergy of any religion should be allowed to
enter the ward and perform religious rites without interfering with ward routine or
inconveniencing other patients.

Dieting
The intern should be aware of the nutritional requirements of their patients. If there
is no restriction required, a 'normal Diet' may be prescribed. Special diets are
required when there are restrictions on the types of food to be consumed. e.g.
'diabetic diet' for a patient with diabetes mellitus, ‘low protein diets' for certain liver
and renal diseases. The intern should inquire from the patient whether he or she
gets food from sources other than that supplied by the hospital and give appropriate
advice.

a. Recording of Diets

If a member of the nursing staff or the ward clerk enters the diet and 'extras', such
entries must be initialed by the intern. Full diets, half diets and quarter diets as
appropriate should be prescribed according to the following groups: -

(a) Patients 02 years and over but less than 06 years - quarter diets;

(b) Patients 06 years and over but less than 12 years - half diets;

(c) Patients 12 years and over- full diets.

When an adult patient is unable to take a full diet, he shall be placed on half diet
and any extras necessary. If he cannot take half diet, he should be placed on no diet
and any necessary extras. For children, it will be half the quantity referred to above.

Patients who bring food from home should be marked as 'no diet s'. The parent or
relative of a sick child under 07 years may be allowed to remain with the child and
be given a diet.

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b. Extras

Extras may be authorized for patients who do not receive a full diet. Care should
be exercised when expensive items are ordered as extras. Extras should be ordered
only if they are considered necessary as a food supplement. The cost of such a diet,
as far as possible, should not exceed the cost of a full diet. When extras are ordered,
the intern medical officer should inform the patient that extras have been ordered
and inquire from the patient whether he received the extras ordered.

Registration of births
An Intern Medical Officer should be familiar with the relevant sections of the
Births and Deaths Registration Act. When a birth occurs in a government hospital,
a written declaration from the informant of the birth should be obtained and
transmitted to the Registrar of the Division within 42 days of the date of birth
together with a statutory declaration, which should be issued under section 16 read
with section 63 of the Act mentioned above. The counterfoil of the statutory
declaration should indicate the name, designation and the initials of the officer who
perfected the Form. It is the responsibility of the informant and the registrar to
satisfy themselves that the information furnished is accurate. The necessary forms
would be supplied by the District Registrar under Section 20 of The Act. If there is
any delay on the part of the hospital authorities in informing the birth, the value of
the stamps required for the declaration has to be borne by the hospital authorities.

Reporting of Notifiable (Communicable) Diseases

In 1897, the Quarantine and Prevention of Diseases Ordinance was enacted to arrest
the spread of communicable diseases in the country. The Ordinance though enacted
over 100 years ago, still remains the most forceful instrument in disease control
and prevention. Notification of communicable diseases is not only mandatory but
"any person who contravenes this Ordinance (and its regulations) without lawful
authority or excuse, shall be guilty of an offence under the Quarantine and Diseases
Ordinance (Chapter 222) and such person shall be prosecuted in the magistrate's
court under Section 4 of the Ordinance".

11
Notification of Communicable Diseases is the first step in the prevention and
control of disease outbreaks. Though diagnosis and treatment of diseases have
advanced tremendously, the value of notification in the prevention of disease still
remains unchanged, and is important today as it was over 100 years ago. Unless a
disease is notified, the public health authorities will be unaware of such a case. It
is well to remember that all epidemics start with a single index case.

Gazette Notification No. 1131/24 of 10/05/2000 states that "every medical

practitioner or person professing to treat diseases, who attends on any person
suffering from any disease set out in the schedule of these regulations shall notify
forthwith to the proper authority, the name, sex, age and place of residence of the
person on whom he attends and the nature of the disease".

The notification should be done soon after seeing the patient and even on a
provisional diagnosis, with subsequent communication following a positive
diagnosis.

All medical officers, including Intern Medical Officers, must report all notifiable
diseases occurring in the ward/unit. For your guidance, a list of current notifiable
diseases is given below. Notification should be done on Form Health 544
(Notification of a Communicable Disease.) These forms are available in the ward.
Any special investigation done on the patient would also have to be entered in the
notification form. Every ward maintains a Notification Register that documents all
notification made from the ward. The notification form with the relevant entry in
the ward notification register is sent to the office for dispatch to the Medical Officer
of Health (MOH)/ Divisional Director of Health Services (DDHS), of the area in
which the patient resides. It must be ensured that the patient's correct address is
stated in full when making the notification to the MOH. Before a patient suffering
from a communicable disease is discharged, the intern should advise the patient
about any precautions that need to be taken. The fact that the case was notified
should be entered in the first page of the clinical notes.

12
 List of notifiable diseases in Sri Lanka
(Approved by the Advisory Committee on Communicable Diseases on 05"' September 2006)

Column I Column II Column III

Disease Proper Authority Mode of Notification

Cholera
Plague Director General of Health Services, By telephone, fax or
Yellow fever Deputy Director General (public telegram and in
Health Services), Epidemiologist, notification form 1(H-
Regional Epidemiologist, 544)
Divisional Director of Health
Services/Medical Officer of Health

Acute poliomyelitis/Acute Flaccid Divisional Director of Health By notification form

paralysis Services/Medical Officer of Health 1(H-544)
Chicken pox
Dengue Fever/Dengue
Hernorrhagic Fever
Diphtheria
Dysentery
Encephalitis
Enteric Fever
Food poisoning
Human Rabies
Leptospirosis
Malaria
Measles
Meningitis
Mumps
Rubella/Congenital Rubella
Syndrome
Simple Continued Fever of 7 days or
more
Tetanus/Neonatal Tetanus
Typhus Fever
Viral Hepatitis
Whooping Cough
leishmaniasis

Sever Acute Respiratory Syndrome(SARS) Director General of Health Services, By telephone, fax or
telegram and in
/Suspected for SARS Deputy Director General (public notification form 1(H-
Health Services), 544)
Director/Quarantine,
Airport Health Officer,
Port Health Officer, Epidemiologist,
Regional Epidemiologist,
Divisional Director of Health
Services/Medical Officer of Health
Tuberculosis Director/National programmer for By notification form
Tuberculosis Control and Chest 1(H-816)
Diseases

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Medico-legal
All injuries noted on admission of a patient to any ward should be carefully
recorded in the clinical notes by the Intern Medical Officer, whether they are
accidental, self-inflicted or caused by another person. These include burns, near
drowning, electrocution, poisoning etc. When there is evidence or a suspicion of
an offence being committed, the police should be informed by recording in the
clinical notes, e.g. abortion, rape, child abuse. The police after inquiry would issue
a General Hospital Police Ticket (GHT), which has to be completed by the Judicial
Medical Officer.

Inquests
Inquests are conducted by Inquirers into Sudden Deaths (ISO or "Coroner") or a
Magistrate, on receiving information that a per son has died due to an unnatural
cause such as suicide, accident, violence, machinery, an animal attack, or while in
the custody of the police, in a house of detention, an inmate of a mental hospital,
or on the operating table while under an aesthesia, and due to poisoning, rabies or
tetanus.

An inquest is also necessary when a patient dies unexpectedly and the medical team
is unable to give the cause of death.

At the inquest, the police have to state the results of the inquiries made and the
recorded evidence of the relative s. This may cause inconvenience to relatives and
delays in making funeral arrangements. Where it is mandatory, an inquest should
not be avoided as it is a judicial requirement. An inquest is not required when a
patient dies of an undiagnosed illness after prolonged treatment. In such an
instance, a Pathological Postmortem examination may be performed after obtaining
approval of the Head of the Institution and the consent of the next of kin.

14
An inquest is not necessary when a patient dies of a natural cause even within 24
hours of admission to a ward if the cause of death can be ascertained. In case of
doubt, the advice of the Consultant of the unit should be obtained. In every instance,
efforts should be made to minimize inconvenience to relatives of the patients, but
the intern should not be coerced into avoiding a postmortem examination when
indicated.

Death Certification
Certification of death is a responsibility of the Intern Medical Officer. The Ward
Sister/Nurse may summon the Intern Medical Officer to certify death of patient.
Extreme care should be taken before pronouncing death, and the body must be seen
and examined. When a death occurs, the relatives of the patient have to be informed
by telegram/telephone through the hospital office. When the Intern Medical Officer
declares the cause of death, Form Registration B 31 has to be filled, carefully
entering all the particulars requested. The cause of death should not be written when
an inquest is requested.

Requests for Documents

Clinical notes (Bed Head Tickets) are confidential documents meant for
departmental use only. Requests for copies of clinical notes by members of the
public should not be entertained. However, original or certified copies may be
furnished, when required by a Court of Law or the Registrar/ Sri Lanka Medical
Council. If the Head of the Government Department calls for a copy of the clinical
notes (BHT) for an administrative purpose, there is no legal objection for granting
such a request, if the circumstances are reasonable. A Corporation is not a
Government Department. Similar documents may sometimes be required by the
police in the course of investigations. The permission of the Head of the Institution
should be obtained before any document is handed over.

15
Medical Certificates
Officers of the Public Service who are bound by the Establishment Code and whose
emoluments are paid out of the Consolidated Fund are entitled to the issue of
Medical Certificates (MC) free of charge. Form Health 170 should be used in
respect of the category of major staff and Form Health 231 in respect of minor staff.
For others, Private Medical Certificates on form Health 307 may be issued on the
payment of the prescribed fee.

The patient has to pay the fee to the hospital office and produce the receipt for the
medical officer to write the MC. All cages in the MC must be completed in full.
Intern Medical Officers are authorized to issue a MC with the approval of the
Consultant, only to patients in their units/wards and to those attending their follow
up clinics.

MCs should be issued only to those who are unfit to attend to official duties on
account of an Illness, and not for trivial ailments.

Leave is recommended for a maximum period of three months, one month at a time
for the first two months, and two periods of two weeks each thereafter. Only the
minimum period of leave has to be recommended. A medical certificate from a
medical officer should not cover more than five days past absence except in the
case of an indoor/ward patient, to cover a period of stay in hospital. When a state
officer/employee is likely to be on leave for three months or more, a
recommendation to the Head of the relevant Department should be made, to arrange
for a Medical Board.

For further details, intern medical officers are advised to read the "Guidelines on
issuing of Medical and Death Certificates" provided to them by the Sri Lanka
Medical Council at the time of Provisional Registration.

16
Academic Activities
Academic activities form an import ant component of continuing medical
education of an intern medical officer. The SHO/ Registrars should take the
initiative and organize clinical meetings, clinico-pathological conferences et c. with
the guidance of the Consultants and the Head of Institutions and the interns should
actively participate.

Appraisal
There would be an objective appraisal of internship during and at the end of each
period, for which a record book will be provided. Interns should familiarize
themselves with the areas of appraisal given in the book titled "Evaluation
Certificate for internship".

Leave to Intern Medical Officers

Leave is allowed to an intern medical officer up to a total of 14 days during the
period of internship, of which not more than two days should be taken at a time,
except in the case of an illness. In such an instance, a medical certificate acceptable
to the Sri Lanka Medical Council has to be submitted. If leave for more than 14
days is availed of, internship has to be repeated for that period. if internship is
extended for any period, the intern is not entitled to any emoluments during that
period.

Maternity Leave
Interns are granted maternity leave during internship as in the case of other
Government employees. The minimum period of maternity leave that should be
taken in the case of a live birth is twenty-eight (28) days. Hence no intern should
report for duty within 28 days of delivery of a live baby.

Eighty-four (84) days of maternity leave is allowed for interns without loss of
‘seniority’ or ‘merit position’. In calculating this, week-ends and public holidays
are not included. However, the intern should work in each unit for a total of six
months (minus 14 days if no other leave is taken).

For further information, please refer annex 1 and 2.

17
Annexure 01

Salient points from the Public Administrative Circular 4/2005

of 3 February 2005

(Amendment to section 18 Chapter XII of the Establishment Code)

1. Government has decided to grant female public officers 84 days’ maternity leave
with full pay, 84 days’ maternity leave on half pay, 84 days’ maternity leave on no
pay in respect of every child birth.

2. All female public officers whether permanent, temporary, casual or trainee are
entitled to maternity leave under this section.

3. Maternity leave with full pay

• Female officer is entitled to 84 working days full pay leave in respect of

every live child birth and they will not be allowed to resume duties before
the expiry of 4 weeks after the birth of the child.

• In calculating maternity leave public holidays, Saturdays and Sundays

falling within such period should not be included.

• In the case of a still birth or the death of a child before the expiry of 6 weeks
from the child birth, 6 weeks leave from the date of child birt h should be
granted as special full pay leave.

4. Maternity leave on half pay

• After the exhaustion of leave mentioned in the previous paragraph the

officer is entitled to 84days leave on half pay for her to look after the child.

5. Maternity leave on no pay

• After the end of leave approved under the previous two paragraphs, it is
possible to grant 84 days no pay leave only if such leave is required for
the purpose of looking after the child. However, the approval of the leave
would be by the Head of the relevant Department.

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6. In the case of a miscarriage the officer can avail herself of the vacation leave
she is entitled to on the production of the medical certificate.

7. After the expiration of the maternity leave obtained as described earlier the
officer should be allowed to leave office one hour before the normal time of
departure in order to breast feed the child provided no maternity leave on half pay
has been availed of.

8. Further, when the officer reaches the fifth month of pregnancy she should be
allowed to attend office half an hour later than the normal time of attendance and
leave office half an hour before the normal time of departure.

Annexure 02

Public Administration Circular Letters: 3/2013 of 27 August 2013.

Granting of Maternity leave in Terms of Public Administration Circular No.

04 /2005 to new appointees to Public Service who receive their permanent
appointments after child birth.

1. A large number of inquiries are received in respect of procedure that should

be followed in granting maternity leave in term s of Public Administration
Circular No.04 /2005 to female public officers who have delivered a baby
prior to receiving their permanent appointment s. At such occasions action
should be taken in the following manner.

2. As per the provisions of the above circular, female public officers are granted
maternity leave to ensure nutrition and protection to the child. Accordingly,
the remaining number of days after deducting the number of days between
the date of the child birth and the date of assumption of duties of the newly
appointee, from the maternity leave of 84 days can be granted as full pay
leave as per provision of Public Administration Circular No. 04/ 2005.

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3. In case where the officer is entitled to obtain either leave with half pay or
no-pay after the above calculation, the officer shall also be granted such
leave on her request.

4. Further, it is Informed that leave granted to the officers deviating from the
above Instructions, who have received appointments in public service after
child birth and who are still within the period entitled to obtain leave with
full pay, half pay and no-pay as per Public Administration Circular No.
04/2005, shall be revised making necessary adjustments.

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