Dramatic midnight operation by protesting doctors
The battle between the Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA) and the Education Ministry over the preferential admission scheme for doctors’ children has spilled over for yet another week.
Last week, however, Education Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam avoided meeting the doctors who called over at the Ministry. The doctors insisted they wanted a meeting with him and stayed on throughout the day – and night.
By evening the ministry staff started leaving. The doctors continued to occupy the auditorium of the ministry. Instructions went out to the security that if the doctors wanted to leave they could do so, but no more persons would be allowed inside.
As night approached the doctors were left without power supplies and food. They had no way of getting food and drinking water from outside.
Plan B was put in place. The doctors claimed that one of their colleagues had fainted as the auditorium was closed up. They immediately called for an ambulance from the Colombo national hospital, ignoring the Sri Jayewardenepura hospital which was much closer to the ministry than the national hospital.
As the ambulance reached the premises the security had no option, but to allow the vehicle in. Along with the ambulance more than a dozen doctors carrying food parcels and bottles of water gained access to the ministry premises.
The doctors had succeeded in their operation in getting food supplies and water for their colleagues who decided to stay overnight.
They were evicted on a court order the following day.
The rivalry between the GMOA and the Education Minister has escalated since.