The Government Medical Officers Association states that doctors in the Western, Southern, Central, and Eastern provinces will continue the strike starting at 8:00 this morning against the unfair tax revisions implemented by the government.
A media spokesman for the GMOA said that tomorrow and the day after, doctors from other provinces of the island will also join the strike, which was launched targeting a number of issues including the government’s arbitrary tax policy, raising bank interest rates, and the acute shortage of medicines in hospitals.
It is also stated that private channeling services and medical services in private treatment centers will be completely stopped in these provinces during the trade union action.
It is also stated that more than 50 percent of the doctors representing the Government Medical Officers Association work in the four provinces where the strike is taking place today.
Dr. Wijesinghe said that ayurvedic doctors, medical faculty deans, doctors working in private hospitals represented by the union, specialists, registered doctors, and assistant doctors will all join the strike today.
However, medical officers at emergency treatment units at children’s hospitals, cancer hospitals, maternity hospitals, and kidney hospitals will work as scheduled.
The trade unions representing professionals have stated that they are ready to withdraw from the strike action if the government pays attention to their demands and gives written assurances of a suitable solution.
