Sri Lanka’s health system is on the brink as the Government Medical Officers’ Association declares an island-wide strike and possible hospital closures. The GMOA is demanding urgent resolutions to delayed transfer lists, illegal staffing changes, and collapsing health services. A nationwide walkout looms unless the Ministry of Health acts swiftly.
Press Release
The crisis caused by irregularities in the medical transfer lists and the trade union action
Currently, nearly 23,000 doctors are employed in Sri Lanka, and more than 98% of those doctors are members of our association. Therefore, the Government Medical Officers’ Association acts as a regular participant in the medical transfer boards according to the Establishments Code.
However, due to the Director of the Medical Services Unit of the Ministry of Health acting illegally and without the consent of the transfer boards, the entire medical transfer process and the entire health service are facing a serious crisis.
- Although the 2025 transfer list was supposed to be published in November 2024 as per the provisions of the Establishments Code, it was delayed by nine months until July 2025.
- In preparing the transfer list, the Public Service Commission, abusing the appeal process, removed 78 posts from the approved list and illegally opened new vacancies for doctors loyal to it, assigning those posts to them.
- Steps have been taken to discourage doctors working in difficult locations and to close those difficult hospitals.
- The post-internship attachment vacancy list was prepared in an irregular and illegal manner, departing from the specified methodology, thereby causing the collapse of the entire health system.
Discussions were held with the Minister of Health on 01.08.2025 regarding the above matters. Although the Minister of Health agreed to rectify these issues and irregularities, he has failed to provide a specific solution so far.
A meeting was held today with the Chairman of the Public Service Commission in this regard. He also strongly criticized the manner in which the Ministry of Health has acted and agreed to take necessary action.
In this regard, a complaint with all the allegations against the relevant director was submitted to the Chairman of the Public Service Commission, and the request to initiate an investigation was accepted.
As per a decision taken by the Government Medical Officers’ Association Central Committee on 05.08.2025, as the first step of the island-wide trade union action scheduled to begin on 11.08.2025, all doctors awaiting post-internship assignments and doctors in difficult workplaces are scheduled to be summoned to the Government Medical Officers’ Association headquarters tomorrow, and the future steps to be taken will be discussed there.
The authorities of the Ministry of Health, including the Director of Medical Services of the Ministry of Health, must take responsibility for the collapsing health services resulting from this situation. We hope that the Minister of Health will take steps to prevent sick people, already suffering from a shortage of medicines, from further hardship due to a shortage of doctors and the collapse of the entire health system.
