• 10,000 transfers stalled, post-intern doctors affected
• Hospital vacancies filled without capacity, risking closures
• Health Ministry criticised for bypassing Transfer Board
• GMOA demands urgent action from Health Ministry

The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) warns that it will launch islandwide trade union action tomorrow (11) if the Health Ministry continues to fall short in resolving issues surrounding unlawful doctor transfers and appointment lists.

When contacted by The Sunday Morning, GMOA Media Spokesman Dr. Chamil Wijesinghe emphasised the clear violation of rules and regulations by the Ministry of Health with regard to the process of doctor transfers as a whole, highlighting the importance of adhering to the Establishments Code’s set guideline in compiling these lists.

“It is a matter relating to 23,000 doctors. While 10,000 doctors have already received transfers, the transfers are yet to be implemented. This means they have to stay in places where they are not supposed to be. Nearly 1,004 post-intern doctors are in trouble as the procedure was incorrect and there were a lot of errors in the list,” he said.

According to Dr. Wijesinghe, the lists included published vacancies in hospitals that did not have the capacity for such units, putting doctors at a disadvantage.

He said that the lack of doctors due to a reduction in the Difficult Station Transfer List meant that nearly 200 hospitals faced the risk of closing down, with medical services at others also being affected.

“We need urgent action for the Post-Intern Vacancy List as well as the Difficult Station List and the Annual Transfer List 2025. We need a comprehensive plan, a strategic approach to implement those 10,000 annual transfers,” Dr. Wijesinghe stressed.

“We hope it will end in a positive place because we do not want to conduct this strike, but it is clear that ministry officials want us to strike. To bring us to a strike is to collapse the health system.”

A special discussion to discuss the threat posed by disruptions to the healthcare service and problems faced by post-intern doctors was held on Thursday (7) at the GMOA Headquarters. It was revealed that the lists, which included post-intern placements, temporary attachments, and appointments to difficult service areas, had been issued without proper legal procedures or consultation with relevant transfer boards.

The GMOA stated that more than 500 doctors representing these categories had participated in the discussion, unanimously expressing their strong opposition against the illegal transfer lists.

While the Health Ministry is reportedly seeking post-approval on these lists from provincial as well as district authorities, the GMOA criticised this attempt, stating that the Ministry of Health authorities were “engaging in the process of embarrassing doctors, the public, and the Government due to such arbitrary and illegal actions”.

The GMOA noted that the correct method towards resolving the situation would be to publish a list approved by the Transfer Board, following a discussion with all parties through the board. It also called on the Ministry of Health authorities to “step up and take responsibility for the health services that are being disrupted through this process”.

About 2,000 doctors from across the country are to be involved in the trade union action.

It was decided that nationwide trade action would be implemented from 8 a.m. on Monday (11), if solutions to resolve the matter were not provided before that time.