Health Ministry, GMOA agrees on doctors appointments

COLOMBO: The Parliamentarians of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) had proposed that the students who had graduated from the Jaffna University Medical Faculty should be attached to the hospitals in the Northeast for a period of one year on a compulsory basis, when the Health Ministry Parliamentary Consultative Committee met recently, states a press release issued by the Healthcare and Nutrition Ministry.

The medical graduates of the Jaffna University have expressed their protest to this proposal. The members of the Government Medical Officers' Association conveying this message to the Minister of Healthcare and Nutrition Nimal Siripala de Silva said the GMOA also opposed the new move to confine the medical graduates of the Jaffna University to the Northeast Province alone.

Fifty of the 844 new medical graduates who are qualified to be appointed as Medical Officers have not applied to be absorbed into the Government health sector.

The Representatives of the GMOA led by its President Dr. B. G. W. Rathnasena, Secretary, Dr. Uditha Herath, and the Asst. Secretary Dr. Pathirana held discussion with the Health Minister on the procedures adopted to attach new doctors to be appointed to hospitals from August 1.The Additional Secretary to the Health Ministry Dr. Nihal Jayathillake, Director General of Health Services Dr. Athula Kahandaliyanage, Director Medical Services of the Health Ministry, Dr. Piyasena Samarakoon were associated with the Health Minister at the discussion.

It was announced that there was a general priority list as determined by the Supreme Court to attach doctors to various hospitals in the country and deviating from this accepted norms may be challenged in the court. The Minister of Health commenting on the Supreme Court ruling opined that attaching doctors who were out from the Jaffna Medical College especially to the Northeast hospitals for a period of one year was not against the court ruling.

The Minister pointed out that the decision taken by the Government to attach the Jaffna University medical graduates only to the hospitals in the Northeast at the request of the MPs of TNA was a reflection of the President's willingness to fulfil the aspirations of ordinary Tamil, Sinhala and Muslim people of the area.

The Minister said that he would inform the TNA members at the next Parliamentary Consultative Meeting about this protest by the Jaffna medical graduates and the GMOA. He said that the TNA, if possible, should convince the doctors to come forward voluntarily to serve in the Northeast hospitals.

Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva while expressing his views that the GMOA should not oppose such a move by doctors to work voluntarily in the Northeast emphasised that the Ministry would attach 75 per cent of the doctors of the next batch to hospitals in the Northeast definitely. The Minister thanked the GMOA for their favourable reaction shown in this regard.

Meanwhile, it was announced that around 300 foreign medical graduates are waiting in anguish without the possibility to sit for the Act. 16 exam and the Minister appealed to the GMOA to assist solve the existing problem with regard to the conduct to Act. 16 examinations for foreign medical graduates.

The Minister said that the draft prepared by the Ministry on the norms of accepting the foreign medical colleges would be gazetted during the week enabling the foreign graduates to sit for the Act. 16 exam soon.