• Notes need to address issues faced by specialists serving in SL

The Association of Medical Specialists (AMS) commended Health Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa’s invitation to Sri Lankan medical specialists, who have left the country for various reasons, to return.

It however stated that the Government must first address the issues faced by specialists currently serving in the country. The AMS stated that unless the root causes of brain drain among medical specialists are addressed, the Health Minister’s request for specialists to return to Sri Lanka will be a futile exercise.

Speaking with The Daily Morning, AMS President Dr. Rasika Gunapala, said that the Health Minister has been in constant discussions with the association regarding the difficulties faced by specialists and that he frequently visits hospitals to examine the issues firsthand. “We appreciate those efforts, but the problems of those who are already here must be addressed alongside the invitation for others to return.”

He said that Sri Lanka currently has a deficit of around 1,200 specialists, and that those who remain in the service face serious challenges when deployed to peripheral hospitals. “Many are unable to find suitable official residences, and those who move with their families struggle to secure schools for their children. Previously, there were special provisions for school admissions of medical officers’ children, but those have now been removed.”

“If we use our own vehicles, we must bear the full cost. Public transport is the only option for most, and many of us cannot afford to buy a vehicle as we are not receiving the vehicle duty concession permit that we received earlier. Previously, when a medical officer got their first appointment, they were issued a vehicle permit, but none of that is there now,” he said, adding that specialists are classified under the SL-3 grade, but unlike others in that category, they do not receive a transport allowance despite having to travel long distances to hospitals.

Regarding remuneration, Dr. Gunapala said that the basic salary of a junior specialist is around Rs. 156,000, and with other allowances, the total reaches about Rs. 280,000. “Specialists currently pay 36% of their income as taxes. This is a very high rate. It’s acceptable if the salary is reasonable, but at this level, it’s difficult for them to manage,”

He further noted that another long-standing issue is the absence of a service constitution for medical specialists. “We have been asking for the introduction of a service minute for nearly ten years, but even the basic work has not started. Almost all other professionals have a service constitution, but we still don’t.”

Speaking further, he said that through the last budget, government servants received a considerable salary increase, but none of the discrepancies and injustices faced by medical specialists were addressed. As a solution to the issue, the AMS has now requested to fix the allowances paid for extra duties performed. “We have communicated this request to the President, the Health Minister and the Health Ministry Secretary, and are awaiting a positive intervention from the Government through next year’s budget which will be presented soon this month.”

According to the AMS, Sri Lanka is currently facing an acute shortage of specialists in key areas such as Anaesthesia, Paediatrics, Psychiatry, Haematology, Transfusion Medicine, Neurosurgery, Vascular Surgery, Transplant Surgery, and Electrophysiology.

Dr. Jayatissa recently urged Sri Lankan medical specialists working in the United Kingdom to consider returning home, citing the shortage of specialists. He said that the doctors had left for various reasons, but stressed the current need in Sri Lanka’s health service. He also assured the doctors that if they returned, they would be reinstated in their same positions with all previous service benefits.