Sri Lankan medical officers report "sick" to win demands

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 December 2004, 11:32 GMT]
About 1,500 Registered Medical Officers (RMO) and Assistant Medical Officers (AMO) working in 956 government hospitals reported sick Wednesday morning demanding that their salary anomalies should be rectified immediately. The strike severely disrupted the health services in the rural areas as majority of RMOs and AMOs are working peripheral medical institutions, trade union sources said.

Dr.Thilina Gunawardene, President of the Society of Registered and Assistant Medical Officers (SRAMO) said the trade union action would continue till Friday.

He further said, "The Public Salary Rectification Committee has not taken any steps to solve our problem for the last eighteen months. We are tired of talking any further with the authorities. Hence, as a last resort we have launched the trade union action to protect our professional honour and rights".

The SRAMO is demanding immediate rectification of salary anomalies and registration of its members for postgraduate medical training in Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC), sources said

The Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA) is opposing RMOs and AMOs being registered for postgraduate training.

GMOA has said its members are ready to work in rural hospitals hit by the SRAMO strike to ensure a smooth service. Majority members of the GMOA are working in general and district hospitals and not in rural hospitals, sources said.