Nurses, doctors should work as a team - Healthcare Minister

Nadira Gunatilleke

Sixty four MBBS doctors who passed out from the Jaffna University will be appointed to State hospitals in the North and East on their request, Healthcare and Nutrition Ministry spokesman said.

He said that the 64 intern doctors who passed out from the Jaffna Medical Faculty made a special request from Minister De Siva to obtain internship appointments to State hospitals located in the North and Eastern Provinces to serve their own people who spent money to educate them. Minister De Silva accepted their request and posted them to the hospitals in those two provinces.

Minister De Silva presented appointment letters to 725 intern doctors during a ceremony held at the John De Silva Theatre, Colombo recently.

Minister De Silva pointed out that the Government has allocated Rs.89,000 million for the health sector from the 2008 budget.

He pointed out that the funds allocated for the health sector had significantly increased over the past few years and steps have also been taken to develop human resources in the sector.

There is a severe shortage of doctors in certain sections in the health sector and about 1500 doctors have gone abroad for the post graduate training. They are scheduled to return to Sri Lanka within the next two years.

The service of doctors and nurses are two sacred professions and they should be prepared to deliver an excellent service working together. But at the moment they fight with each other for minor things such as office appliances and office space. This should not be happen, the Minister stressed.

Director General, Health Services, Dr.Ajith Mendis and several other ministry officials were present.