Doctors duty-bound to serve motherland first – health minister

Nadira Gunatilleke

Around 10,000 Sri Lankan doctors serve in developed countries such as UK, USA, and Australia etc. Last year a large number of doctors left the country without accepting internships. We even requested and asked them to return to Sri Lanka yet they did not agree, Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena said.

Addressing doctors after handing over internship appointments to 140 doctors during a ceremony at the BMICH, Colombo yesterday Minister Sirisena said that it is the duty of all doctors to serve their motherland at least for five years to pay back the innocent poor citizens who funded their free education.

The nation salutes the doctors who do so. The government will provide all facilities for the doctors who are willing to return to their motherland and serve their own people.

Minister Sirisena pointed out that money is required for all to live but money should be earned in a justifiable manner. First of all one should do his/her duty towards who brought them up and educated them. They should do their duty towards their motherland first, the minister emphasised.

He said innocent poor people spend their hard-earned money to educate the sons and daughters of mother Lanka. Therefore it is the duty of children to serve their motherland first.

Minister Sirisena stressed that the doctors passed out from the Medical Faculty of Rajarata University are special because they underwent numerous hardships while reading for their medical degrees. They fought for their rights which were very reasonable. Their parents underwent all the hardships to make their children doctors. Now those children will wipe away the tears of their beloved parents, Minister Siriena added.