The transfer of Ratnapura Teaching Hospital Director Dr. Imesh Prathapasinghe has brought an end to a two-day strike staged by doctors, following reports of threats and unrest inside the hospital.
The Ministry of Health announced the transfer of Dr. Imesh Prathapasinghe, Director of the Ratnapura Teaching Hospital, after doctors launched a strike citing his alleged arbitrary conduct. The trade union action, which lasted two days, disrupted daily medical services and drew attention to what doctors described as unsafe working conditions and threats from outsiders entering the hospital premises.
With the transfer, steps have been taken to end the strike and restore normal hospital operations. Prior to the transfer, the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) issued a press release highlighting its grievances and reasons for continuing the strike.
GMOA Press Release
The doctors’ strike at the Ratnapura Hospital has continued for the second day as the Ministry of Health has failed to resolve the issue at the Ratnapura Teaching Hospital.
The oppressive and arbitrary actions of the Director of the Ratnapura Teaching Hospital have severely affected the entire staff, including the hospital’s specialists and doctors, and have also affected the hospital’s patient care services.
Although the previously announced trade union action was postponed due to the Ministry of Health’s agreement to conduct a fair investigation into the actions of the relevant Director and take necessary steps to resolve the issues faced by the hospital staff and create a safe professional environment within the hospital, the Ministry of Health authorities have failed to implement those agreements so far.
Although the Ministry of Health investigation has begun, it is unacceptable to conduct the investigation while the relevant hospital director in question is in office and within the hospital.
This has severely hampered the impartiality and transparency of the relevant investigation, and the witnesses to the allegations against the Director are also being pressured. There have also been reports of the risk of documents being altered and misplaced during the investigation.
It has also been observed that the hospital director in question is avoiding the Ministry of Health’s investigation.
Furthermore, groups of outsiders have been entering the hospital from time to time and making various threats to the staff, including doctors, creating a very unsafe situation within the hospital premises.
Reviewing these trends, demanding a fair and transparent investigation into the actions of the hospital director, requesting that he be temporarily removed from the post of hospital director until then, and requesting that security be ensured within the hospital premises, despite several discussions with the responsible authorities including the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Health has failed to provide solutions to the problem so far.
Although the Ministry of Health was given more than enough time to resolve these issues under the existing standard procedure, the health authorities have failed to provide reasonable solutions to ensure the safety of doctors at the Ratnapura Hospital and maintain patient care services.
In a context where the Ministry of Health authorities are not fulfilling their responsibilities, the Ratnapura Teaching Hospital branch of the Government Medical Officers’ Association launched a 24-hour symbolic strike at the Ratnapura Teaching Hospital starting from 08.00 am on Tuesday, 02.09.2025.
However, reviewing the trends, including the failure of the Ministry of Health authorities to provide any positive solution to this crisis till this morning, the Ratnapura Hospital Branch of the Government Medical Officers’ Association has decided to extend the token strike, which was to end at 08.00 this morning, for the second consecutive day.
Emergency and life-saving treatment services will continue to operate during this strike period, while all daily treatment services will be disrupted.
The full responsibility for this strike must be taken by the Hospital Director and the Ministry of Health authorities who have failed to implement the agreed upon points despite being given ample time to resolve the issue.
It has been reported that some efforts to resolve this issue are being blocked by certain officials and parties who have recently joined the Ministry of Health, which will ultimately only exacerbate this issue and completely cripple the patient care services at the Ratnapura Teaching Hospital.
If the Secretary to the Ministry of Health, the Director General of Health Services and other responsible persons fail to fulfill their responsibility to resolve this issue, disregarding the safety of the hospital staff and patients, including doctors, these professional actions will have to be intensified in the future, and the Ministry of Health must take full responsibility for it.
