Health services:

Strike no impact

Nadira GUNATILLEKE and Disna MUDALIGE

The strike to be launched by the Government Medical Officers' Association (GMOA) today will not affect health services, a Health Ministry spokesman said.

According to the spokesman the strike is to protest the private medical college and not against the Health Ministry.

He said that the Health Ministry will hold discussions with the GMOA minimize the strike impact on the health services.

The GMOA has already stated that they will continue emergency services without any interruption and the strike will last only for four hours.

Therefore there will be no significant impact on health services, he added.

GMOA Secretary Dr Chandika Epitakaduwa said that a countrywide trade union action involving all hospitals is organized as a protest against the issuing of gazette notification to grant degree awarding status to the Malabe Private Medical College. "This gazette has been issued by Higher Education Minister S B Dissanayake.

Sri Lanka Medical Council is the only authority to decide the quality of a medical college.

It has not yet recognized the standards of the Malabe Medical College that is affiliated to a Russian University.

Therefore it is a violation of Sri Lankan medical standards"he said.

The GMOA was to discuss this matter with the health ministry last evening.