A brewing crisis in Sri Lanka’s healthcare sector intensifies as doctors challenge controversial transfer policies, raising fears of disruption, political tension, and a looming standoff between medical professionals and the government.
The Government Medical Officers’ Association has announced that it will resume its trade union action starting at 8.00 a.m. tomorrow, signaling a major escalation over what it describes as unfair transfer policies within the state health sector.
The GMOA has already carried out symbolic strikes over the past few days, highlighting several pressing concerns including the controversial transfer process affecting post-intern medical officers. These actions have brought renewed attention to growing dissatisfaction among government doctors regarding administrative decisions.
In a bold move, the association challenged Health Minister Nalinda Jayatissa to a public debate on any local media platform if he refuses to engage in direct discussions with the GMOA regarding these unresolved issues.
Speaking to the media, GMOA Secretary Dr. Prabath Sugathadasa stated that post-intern medical officers will not apply for state sector appointments before 12.00 noon on Saturday as directed by the Health Minister, signaling organized resistance against the directive.
He further revealed that multiple parties are allegedly threatening post-intern medical officers, while the Health Minister has instructed affected individuals to lodge complaints, adding to the tension within the healthcare system.
Dr. Sugathadasa went on to claim that since the Health Minister himself has allegedly threatened medical officers regarding state sector appointments, the first complaint should be filed against Minister Jayatissa, intensifying the political dimension of the dispute.
The GMOA has advised post-intern medical officers not to apply under what it describes as corrupt and flawed state sector appointment processes, also pointing to the ongoing challenges faced by doctors working in rural hospitals.
Responding to a recent statement by Minister Nalinda Jayatissa, who warned that post-intern medical officers failing to apply before the deadline would lose their current positions and salaries, Dr. Sugathadasa reiterated the association’s stance and defended the decision to resist the directive.
The minister had stated that following approval from the State Services Commission, those who miss the deadline would only be considered in future recruitment cycles, and would be placed at the bottom of the list, even below the next batch of approximately 1,300 applicants.
