GMOATO IMPLEMENT ISLANDWIDETRADE UNION ACTION

PSC will be responsible for patients’ plight – Dr. Navin

The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) yesterday threatened islandwide trade union action, unless the Public Service Commission (PSC) took steps to implement the much delayed Service Minute of government doctors before the end of January.

General Committee member of the GMOA, Dr. Navin De Soyza singled out an official of the PSC for allegedly sabotaging implementation of the service minute that has been delayed for more than a decade and said this particular additional secretary was deliberately carrying out delaying tactics that had frustrated doctors beyond the limits of patience.

The process of drafting a service minute pertaining to recruitment, training, promotions, transfers of doctors and disciplinary action against them was initiated in 1991 and the amended draft was shuttled among the Health Ministry, Public Administration and Home Affairs Ministry, Finance Ministry and the PSC for more than a dozen times.

Dr. De Soyza said the service minute has introduced a new service cate gory for Doctors’ Service, putting post interns in ‘Preliminary Grade’ which was not in existence up to now. The service minute has not heeded to the demand of the GMOA to reduce the efficiency bar scale for doctors from 18 years to 10 years . The President’s Secretary Lalith Weeratunga and Treasury Secretary Dr. P.B.Jayasundara have expressed concerns about this delay.

“We have no doubt that she is doing this purposely. Even after the GMOA pointed out that more amendments were not relevant she insists on them,” Dr. De Soyza charged.

“If there was no other option for the GMOA, but to resort to trade union action, the PSC must take the responsibility for putting millions of patients into difficulties,” he added.The GMOA expects the PSC would take action against her .

Pix by Pradeep Dilrikshana.