The Government Medical Officers Association has issued a press release expressing its concern over the delay in implementing the agreements reached with the Health Minister regarding the correction of irregularities in the transfer process of doctors. The statement is published below.
In order to provide quality health services and continuity of health services in the country, it is imperative and paramount to assign doctors to hospitals and implement transfer orders through transfer boards in a transparent, efficient and timely manner.
We all know that in the past few months, the preparation of transfer lists, implementation of transfer orders, and filling vacancies in hospitals have not been done properly within the Ministry of Health.
In view of the situation that arose, the Government Medical Officers Association even had to consider taking professional action.
A discussion was held with the intervention of the Hon. Minister of Health regarding the main issues that arose regarding the implementation of annual transfer orders, the preparation of the list of difficult work places, and the provision of attachments to post-internship doctors.
It was pointed out to the Minister of Health that the preparation of transfer lists was not done through the transfer boards, the delay in the transfer lists, and the implementation without transparency were causing great difficulties to doctors as well as the sick people of this country.
The Minister of Health agreed to take urgent measures to rectify these shortcomings, to extend the date of the post-internship list issued so far, to re-arrange and implement the post-internship lists with the participation of officials of the Ministry of Health and the Government Medical Officers Transfer Board, to reconsider the difficult service list with the agreement of all parties, and to correct the irregularities in the annual transfer list of grade doctors.
However, the Government Medical Officers Association was deeply unhappy that the senior officials of the Ministry of Health have not acted to implement the verbal promises made by the Minister of Health.
The Minister of Health was informed in writing about this and the temporarily suspended professional actions were brought to the attention of the Executive Council of the Government Medical Officers Association. We further emphasize that if the Ministry of Health attempts to paralyze the entire health system by not implementing the transfer orders transparently through the intervention of the Transfer Board, the Government Medical Officers Association will not hesitate to take strong decisions in this regard.
Our association will not hesitate to complain to the Public Service Commission and all other parties against the officers who are systematically delaying the implementation of the Minister of Health’s good response and the Ministry of Health. Therefore, we believe that if the Minister of Health intervenes in this matter, it will help to secure the health status of all citizens of the country.