AMS reminds Health Minister crippling effect fuel crisis on their mobility

By Rathindra Kuruwita

The Health Ministry has still not taken any practical and viable measures to ease the crippling effects of the current fuel crisis, affecting medical specialists and other healthcare workers, President of the Association of Medical Specialists (AMS) Dr. LakKumar Fernando has reminded Health Minister, Keheliya Rambukwella.

In his letter to the Health Minister, Dr. Fernando said that reaching the workplace has become a near impossible task for all the medical specialists, and other healthcare workers, due to the worsening fuel crisis.

The lack of fuel not only affects routine work, but also makes it impossible for most health workers to return to hospitals, after working hours, in case of emergencies encountered in healthcare delivery.

“If health staff can’t make it to their workplace on time, this can have life and death consequences. When there is a medical emergency, one can’t go by bus or train,” he said.

Since there are no visible solutions to the fuel crisis in the near future, AMS will be compelled to advise our members to “work from home.” However, this will put many innocent lives in danger on certain occasions, which is sadly due to reasons way beyond the control of health staff.

“If the government and health authorities actually consider that maintaining health services is as equally important to the general public, like the services of the security forces and some other sectors, which are entitled to uninterrupted fuel supply, bypassing long queues, we urge you to make similar arrangements for medical specialists and other healthcare workers as early as possible,” Dr. Fernando said.

The AMS President added that they wanted to put on record that they had urged the authorities to find a solution to this problem faced by healthcare workers. They are compelled to advise members to demand for transport, to be arranged by the institution, to attend emergencies, as most health workers have no access to fuel, he said.