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Health non-medical TUs organise motorcade

30 Nov 2021

  • Demand solutions to salary/promotion issues 
By Buddhika Samaraweera Health sector non-medical trade unions (TUs), including those of the nursing and paramedical services and public health inspectors (PHIs), organised a motorcade in Colombo yesterday (30) demanding that the Government provide immediate solutions to their issues, including salary and promotion-related issues, threatening otherwise to refrain from sending hospital and public health services-related data and reports to the Health Ministry from today (1 December).      Speaking to the media before the commencement of the motorcade, Government Nursing Officers’ Association (GNOA) President Saman Rathnapriya said that the trade unions have decided not to submit any data or reports due to the Health Ministry from today, unless their demands are resolved expeditiously.  “We call on President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, and Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella to address the issues of health professionals immediately. If these issues are not addressed expeditiously, we have decided not to provide data or any other reports with regard to hospitals and public health services to the Health Ministry from today,” he added. Meanwhile, PHIs’ Union President Upul Rohana also addressed the media during the motorcade.  “Rambukwella has said that he is not ready to have fun with the trade unions, but we are ready to have fun with him to resolve these issues. Maybe he will lose his ministry post by the end of this struggle,” he claimed. Rambukwella was unavailable for comment on the matter. Nursing and paramedical trade unions went on a two-day token strike from 7 a.m. on 24 November, demanding speedy solutions to the same issues. A total of 16 trade unions were involved in this token strike, and it was supported by nearly 55,000 health professionals representing 1,100 hospitals and 365 medical officers of health offices islandwide. However, they continued to provide emergency services and the strike was not launched at specialised hospitals such as the Castle Street Teaching Hospital for Women, the Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children, the National Cancer Institute/Apeksha Hospital, Maharagama, and hospitals treating Covid-19 patients. Elaborating on the reasons that led to the strike at that time, Rathnapriya said: “The salary revisions recommended by a committee appointed in 2009 have not yet been implemented and as a result, the serious salary anomalies in the health service have not been addressed. The Government has also failed to do justice to approximately 13,000 nurses who have been affected through a circular related to promotions. In addition, there are many issues with regard to the promotions of non-medical professionals." Speaking further, he said that officers in services including nursing, paramedical, and allied medicine, no matter how highly educated they may be, have to perform normal duties. Therefore, he emphasised that a system needs to be put in place to enable them to move to higher positions. Further claiming that the majority of the administrative staff in the health sector at present are doctors, Rathnapriya alleged that the health sector is collapsing day by day due to it. Therefore, he stressed that a health administration service should be established instead of a doctor-based administration.

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