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| Friday, 13 June 2003 |
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by Ranga Jayasuriya Doctors islandwide went on strike yesterday as the trade union action called by the Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA) entered the third consecutive day. A GMOA spokesman said the Association had decided to continue its trade union action till the Health Ministry comes out with a circular rectifying the salary anomalies of all government medical practitioners. The Lady Ridgeway Hospital and the Maharagama Cancer Hospital functioned as usual but the services in the rest of the hospitals islandwide were crippled as clinics, scheduled surgeries and OPD treatment were suspended. Doctors in all General Hospitals went on strike on Tuesday demanding that their salary anomalies be rectified and for the continuation of the risk allowance for doctors serving in the North-East. The strike was expanded to the Base Hospitals on Wednesday and to hospitals islandwide yesterday. Meanwhile Health Minister P.Dayaratne told a media briefing that his Ministry was awaiting Cabinet approval for the ministry paper recommending a 44 per cent salary increase to the Government Medical Officers. The Minister urged the doctors to suspend the trade union action till next Wednesday when approval for the Cabinet paper is due. Over 550 million rupees is required per year for the pay hike that involves settling the existing salary anomalies of the present cadre numbering 11,000 doctors and another one billion rupees to pay the arrears, according to the Minister. The Minister said he has agreed to the pay hike but the Treasury officials were unable to grant the required approval for the release of money in the absence of the Finance Minister. |
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