Salary not paid to Health volunteers in east

[TamilNet, Saturday, 30 April 2011, 03:12 GMT]
Twenty six health volunteers working in the Kalmunai base hospital for more than two years say that they have made complaints to the Regional Office of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) that they have not been paid salaries since their appointment as authorized by the Department of Health, even after the assurance by the Deputy Minister of Resettlement. When the Health Volunteers were recruited to the post, they were promised a pay of Rs: 175 per day. The Colombo Health Ministry has also authorized the payment and sent necessary funds to the hospital but the volunteers said they have not received a single pay check.

The affected workers have also brought the matter to the notice of the Human Development Organization (HDO).

Mr.M.M.Zarook, Regional Coordinator of the HRCSL has promised to hold inquiry into their complaints, according to health volunteers.

Meanwhile, Provincial Minister of Health Mr.M.S.Subair said he had appointed 23 more health volunteers including three Sinhalese to hospitals in the districts of Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Ampaarai since January this year.