The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) has accused Health Minister Nalinda Jayathissa of allowing serious political interference in the administrative processes of the Ministry of Health, particularly regarding the transfer of doctors. The GMOA has warned of a potential nationwide strike if immediate corrective measures are not taken to restore transparency and fairness in the health sector’s administration.
GMOA Secretary Dr. Prabath Sugathadasa released a detailed press statement outlining their concerns, which include the alleged bypassing of established legal procedures and the undermining of the Medical Transfer Board. The press release, presented in full below, details the association’s grievances and demands.
Press Release
The crisis situation that has arisen due to unnecessary external influences on the transfer process of doctors in this country
The Sri Lankan medical service is an island-wide service. In order to continue to provide high-quality and equitable health services throughout the country, it is imperative that doctors be stationed across all hospitals and areas across the country.
For this reason, it is essential to carry out the transfer process of doctors in all categories of specialists, administrative grade doctors, and grade doctors in a more efficient, systematic, and transparent manner.
The transfer process of doctors is regulated by the Establishments Code, the procedural rules of the Public Service Commission, and the circulars issued by the Ministry of Health. The Medical Transfer Boards, which operate on the provisions of the Establishments Code, also play a central role in ensuring that the transfer process is conducted in a more transparent and fair manner without political or any external influence.
However, recently, it has been observed that there is an adverse trend of undue influence and interference in the medical transfer process through various parties in an illegal manner.
The publication of the 2025 annual transfer list of grade doctors has been delayed for several months due to the efforts of some officials of the Ministry of Health to operate in violation of the existing legal procedure. The number of doctors who have been unfairly affected by this is over 5,000.
When making temporary assignments of doctors, they should be made subject to the approval of the Transfer Board, which ensures the fairness, transparency, and accuracy of the process.
The Ministry of Health has taken steps to remove the Medical Transfer Board from the temporary assignment process in an illegal and arbitrary manner, and serious doubts have arisen as to whether its aim is to violate the transparency and fairness of the transfer process and give priority to political interests.
Meanwhile, recent events have shown that the transfer process of specialist doctors is also undergoing unprecedented and unnecessary interference.
The most recent and questionable incident in this regard is the granting of an additional appointment to the Castle Street Women’s Hospital to the new Chairman of the Sri Jayewardenepura General Hospital, in serious violation of all accepted procedures and legal provisions.
It is a question of who is behind the decision to grant such an appointment completely outside the scope of the Specialist Doctors Transfer Board and to refer it illegally to the Public Service Commission for approval. In a context where the Government Medical Officers’ Association and the Specialist Doctors Association have also expressed strong displeasure and protest regarding this appointment, the fact that the Ministry of Health has not taken any steps to rectify it so far indicates that an environment of violating legal procedures and fulfilling political agendas is once again being created within the Ministry of Health.
What is even more serious is that a “new tradition” is being created in the Health Minister’s office, under the letterhead of the Health Minister’s office, of issuing orders to change the placements of selected specialist doctors.
These new “traditions” that violate existing legal provisions and standard procedures clearly constitute serious political influence on the transfer process of doctors. If the Minister of Health does not take immediate steps to rectify this situation, the Government Medical Officers’ Association will not hesitate to take even strict professional action in the future.
A number of administrative positions in the Ministry of Health and the hospital system have become vacant, and a number of problems have also arisen in the medical administrative ranks as duties are being covered by acting administrators. Among them, the fact that 7 Deputy Director General posts in the Ministry of Health are vacant is also a serious situation.
Suitable senior medical administrators are selected for the posts of Deputy Director General in accordance with a standard recruitment procedure that includes an interview. However, the appointment of officers who are not experienced enough to hold the position of Deputy Director General to these positions on an acting basis is creating a number of problems in the decision-making and implementation process of the Ministry of Health. There is a growing perception within the health sector that political affiliations and agendas are behind these appointments.
In the context of political affiliations and agendas taking precedence in the Ministry of Health and the health sector, the background is being prepared to bring the health system back into crisis, damaging the optimistic environment built in the past. Through this, the lives of innocent sick people are at risk.
We have seen health ministers in history who made decisions in accordance with the whims and narrow agendas of the political authority and even influenced medical transfers. Today, we feel that all politicians in this country should read the message given by them being rejected by the people and even accused before the law.
A key factor in the huge mandate received by the current President and the government was to change the failed political culture of making decisions and acting on political and personal agendas and to create a change in the way the state is governed based on policies. The Ministry of Health cannot escape that responsibility either.
In order to overcome the crisis faced in the past and lead the country’s free health service towards a renaissance, it is imperative to set aside narrow political agendas and interventions and work with a broader vision, based on principles, and by bringing all parties together.
It is an inalienable responsibility of the Honorable President, the Minister of Health, and those responsible to protect the right to life of the people of this country.
Thank you.
Dr. Prabath Sugathadasa, Secretary, Government Medical Officers’ Association
The GMOA’s Next Steps
The GMOA has made it clear that unless their demands are met and the current political interference is addressed, they will initiate strict professional action, including strikes, which could disrupt the country’s healthcare services. They have called on the President and the Health Minister to take immediate corrective measures to ensure transparency and fairness in the Ministry of Health.
