GMOA issues ultimatum to govt., warns of impending hospital closures

By Rathindra Kuruwita

The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) central committee, on Wednesday (27), decided to take legal action against any unlawful attempts by the government to harass doctors who are leaving the country, Secretary of the GMOA, Dr. Haritha Aluthge said.

Dr. Aluthge told The Island that the GMOA had been asking the government, since 2022, to solve the exodus of medical professionals.

“The government has proposed the establishment of private medical colleges as a solution to the shortage of doctors. Even if we imagine this as a solution, it will take six years for them to produce doctors. Even if these medical colleges are established next week, they can’t produce doctors until late 2029. Is it that the government expects people to suffer without doctors in government hospitals for six years?” he asked.

Dr. Aluthge said some henchmen of the government had said they could bring doctors from other countries. The starting basic salary of a medical specialist in Sri Lanka is 88,000 rupees, which is less than 300 US dollars, he said.

“If foreign medical consultants are to be hired, the government will have to pay least USD 10,000 each. Can we afford that?” he asked.

The GMOA secretary said they would decide on a future course of action based on the response of the government in the next two weeks.

“We are identifying hospitals that are on the verge of closure. Thereafter, we will attach the remaining doctors in those hospitals to main government hospitals. There are many hospitals in the periphery operating without the most essential medicine and at 20 percent of required manpower.”