Docs to launch strike on April 29 

By Don Asoka Wijewardena-April 23, 2014

The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) yesterday said about 17,000 doctors would launch a countrywide strike on April 29 as the Public Service Commission (PSC) had again amended the service minute of the doctors.

Earlier the GMOA was to launch an indefinite strike from April 22, but it was postponed as the PSC had given the green light to Health Secretary Dr. Nihal Jayathilaka to issue a special gazette notification approved by the Cabinet.

GMOA committee member Dr. Navin de Soysa told the media at GMOA head office that when Health Secretary Dr. Nihal Jayathilaka was about to issue the gazette notification on April 21, on the same afternoon he had received, from the PSC, a faxed copy of the minute where the Cabinet approved provision had been amended in favour of private medical colleges. Dr. Soysa said as far as the GMOA was aware the PSC Secretary did not have extra-ordinary powers to change the original provision of the service minute. He said the GMOA had taken up the difficulties doctors were faced with due to the non-implementation of the service minute with President Mahinda Rajapaksa,

Presidential Secretary Lalith Weeratunge, Treasury Secretary Dr. P. B.Jayasundara, Cabinet Secretary Sumith Abyesinghe, Salaries and Cadre Commission Secretary Bandu Wijeratne and Health Secretary Dr. Nihal Jayathilaka.

They all had recommended to Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena to submit the service minute to the Cabinet as the PSC had been delaying the implementation process, he said.

He stressed that the GMOA Executive Committee would announce the nature of the strike on April 24.

All emergency cases and emergency operations would not be hampered. But all the OPDs, routine operations and the clinics would be closed.