The revised circular regarding the reduction of doctors’ additional duties and holiday allowances should be issued immediately within a week, said Dr. Chamil Wijesinghe, media spokesperson of the Government Medical Officers’ Association.
Participating in a press conference held yesterday (26), he emphasized that if this is not the case, industrial action will have to be taken if necessary.
Dr. Chamil Wijesinghe stated that the Executive Council of the Medical Officers’ Association met yesterday and this decision was reached.
He further stated that the President agreed to bring those values back to the previous status at the end of a trade union struggle by the Government Medical Officers’ Association.
Accordingly, after the President submitted an amendment to the budget, the Ministry of Public Administration issued a circular in accordance with it on March 25, Chamil Wijesinghe stated.
The Ministry of Health issued a circular on April 28th containing the additional duty allowance values of doctors, subject to those guidelines, and it was observed that the calculation of the additional duty allowance values in that circular was incorrect and a number of basic policy and technical issues were violated.
He further pointed out that the Government Medical Officers Association expressed its opposition to the circular and agreed to immediately issue a new circular, correcting those errors, during a discussion held with the Secretary to the Ministry of Health and other responsible authorities on April 29th.
However, the new circular has not been issued yet and he said that the decision given by the President regarding the allowances and the statements made by the Minister of Health in Parliament may lead to an unnecessary crisis in the health service.