The Central Committee has unanimously decided to withdraw from the “Arogya Project,” a new initiative launched by the Ministry of Health, with effect from March 2, according to Dr. Hansamal Weerasuriya, Assistant Secretary of the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA).
Dr. Weerasuriya stated that the trade union action will continue, as the government has not yet provided a positive response to the association’s demands.
He emphasized that there is no intention to resolve the issue at the expense of patients and assured that the trade union actions will be carried out in a manner that causes minimal inconvenience to the public.
Dr. Weerasuriya further noted that although the association has acted with maximum flexibility in addressing the matter, it is regrettable that the government has failed to respond positively to their demands.
Speaking further, the Assistant Secretary of the GMOA said:
“By now, it is known that the Government Medical Officers’ Association is engaged in a series of trade union actions. These actions are being carried out in a way that causes minimal harm to the public and to patients, while clearly conveying the intended message to the government. Otherwise, we could intensify the trade union action. It is not that we are unable to resort to stronger measures.
We do not want to resolve this issue with patients. We want to resolve it with the government, the Ministry of Health, the Minister of Health, and the responsible authorities. However, it is unfortunate to state that while we are acting with the utmost flexibility, the government and the Minister of Health are responding in a very arrogant manner.
More than 23,000 doctors are united in one voice in urging the government and the Ministry of Health to resolve these issues. Some of these are long-standing problems. Some can be resolved without spending a single cent from the government or the Treasury. They can be addressed without any financial burden. Yet, none of these issues have been resolved.
Beyond that, we held extensive discussions at the recent Central Committee meeting on the 25th regarding how to proceed with these trade union actions in light of what we consider to be the government’s arrogant response.
