Sri Lanka’s doctor shortage could worsen as medical professionals continue to seek opportunities overseas despite tighter migration restrictions in key destinations such as the UK and Australia, the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) has stated.
Speaking to The Sunday Morning, GMOA Assistant Secretary Dr. Hansamal Weerasuriya warned that doctors were increasingly pursuing alternative destinations, including Australia, Canada, Middle Eastern countries, and some Schengen countries, as opportunities and requirements in individual countries changed.
“The UK is not the only destination. There are alternative pathways that doctors of Sri Lanka can access given their knowledge and skills,” he said when asked whether tighter UK limitations on international medical graduates could reduce the migration of Sri Lankan doctors.
Dr. Weerasuriya further noted that there was an increasing number of doctors sitting for overseas licensing examinations.
“The number of doctors sitting for entrance and licensing exams has increased significantly, making these exams more competitive as more doctors choose these options. If you look at Australian journals, there are many applicants from Asian countries, especially Sri Lanka. The number of doctors obtaining international qualifications is increasing,” he said.
According to official figures cited in a 2023 report on the brain drain of doctors in Sri Lanka, 4,284 doctors obtained Certificates of Good Standing from the Sri Lanka Medical Council for the purpose of migration.
Dr. Weerasuriya pointed out remuneration and working conditions as the key push factors driving doctors to seek opportunities overseas. He said that doctors were facing inadequate salaries as well as reductions in some benefits and payments.
“Salaries are inadequate, which is the main issue faced by doctors at the moment. When compared to countries like the UK, Australia, or even Middle Eastern countries such Oman and the UAE, doctors in Sri Lanka earn significantly less. These countries are therefore in a much better position to welcome Sri Lankan doctors given their skills and abilities. There are many push and pull factors involved in the process of doctors migrating,” he said.
The GMOA Assistant Secretary also pointed to withdrawal of the duty-free concessionary vehicle permit previously granted to doctors, which he claimed had further decreased the perks of Government service. He stated that doctors were only paid two-thirds of extra-duty and public holiday payments, with the other one-third withheld.
Dr. Weerasuriya also identified inadequate doctor accommodation and facilities as a barrier to continued employment. He said that some doctors, including those working on call, did not have proper quarters or even adequate bathroom facilities.
“We do not even have proper quarters or proper on-call rooms in Sri Lanka. Some doctors do not even have a washroom facility in the on-call room,” he said.
At the same time, he said that overseas destinations offered substantially higher remuneration and better working conditions. Australia, the UK, and Middle Eastern countries are among the main destinations identified by the GMOA.
“If the British Government tightens its migration policies, a majority of these doctors could face a significant problem in accessing the UK in order to complete their foreign training,” he said, adding that the Government would need to engage diplomatically with countries where Sri Lankan postgraduate trainees were required to obtain overseas clinical experience.
However, for doctors seeking employment rather than mandatory overseas training, he said that alternative destinations remained available. Therefore, he stated that restrictions in one country were unlikely to eliminate the underlying incentive to leave Sri Lanka.
Dr. Weerasuriya also noted that doctors facing difficulties with overseas migration could turn to Sri Lanka’s private healthcare sector, where some organisations offered substantially higher remuneration.
“They can resign from the Government sector and join the private sector instead. In certain private organisations, doctors are eligible to receive two to three times the salary paid to their counterparts in the Government sector,” he said, noting that this remained another alternative for doctors seeking better remuneration without leaving the country.
Meanwhile, according to a special audit report released in September 2025 regarding the amounts due to the Government from medical officers who left Government service as well as the appointment of specialist doctors who received foreign training, an amount of Rs. 1,277 million remains uncollected from contractual bonds, fines, and salary overpayments, which remain outstanding from medical officers who violated their service agreements or deserted their posts.
Based on official audit findings as of 31 October 2024, the Government has failed to recover Rs. 1,156,562,119 from 705 doctors who breached foreign study leave and training agreements.
Attempts to contact the Minister of Health, Deputy Minister, Ministry Secretary, and Director General of Health Services for comments were unsuccessful.