Sri Lanka protests...

The protesters on Friday blocked a main road in Colombo for several hours, creating a huge traffic jam and waved banners saying the private university sold education for profit and should be nationalised.

Normally busy outpatient units were quiet and some patients who had arrived from far away were sleeping on lonely benches at Colombo hospitals.

Sunil Abeyratne, a patient who had visited Colombo’s main hospital from Ambalangoda, 50 kilometres (32 miles) away, said the protest was unfair and doctors have made his life difficult. The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) warned there could be more strikes.

“If the government does not respond positively, we will have to consider stronger trade union action in the future,” said GMOA Secretary Nalinda Herath.

Analysts said the delay in resolving the issue will dent the island’s investment climate.

“How long this issue will prolong and the government’s inability to resolve (it) will certainly impact the investors’ confidence and investment climate,” said Ceylon Chamber of Commerce Chief Analyst Anushka Wijesinghe.

The government said on Friday that it proposes to take over a hospital run by SAITM and to allow its students to train at state hospitals, but did not say if they would stop SAITM from admitting new students.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s centre-right United National Party (UNP), which is in a coalition with President Maithripala Sirisena’s centre-left Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), has promised to revive the economy with major foreign direct investments.

These investments slumped by 54 percent last year to what the government called “extremely low by any standard” as inconsistent tax and economic policies discouraged foreign businesses from putting their money into the country.