- GMOA, Public Security Min. and Police work on safety mechanism
- GMOA cites issues of security, transport, accommodation, wild animals, and food, especially in remote hospitals
The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) called for a long-term comprehensive mechanism to ensure the safety of resident doctors and healthcare staff.
This call follows the token strike launched by the GMOA on Wednesday (12) across all hospitals in the country in protest against the sexual assault and rape of a female doctor at the Anuradhapura Teaching Hospital (TH). However, the GMOA, along with the doctors and staff of the Anuradhapura TH, called off their strike yesterday (13) after discussions with the relevant authorities.
Against this backdrop, the GMOA Spokesperson Dr. Chamil Wijesinghe told The Daily Morning yesterday that the authorities should take immediate action to establish a long-term comprehensive programme to ensure the safety of the healthcare staff, especially those working in remote areas where there is no proper security or transport. Dr. Wijesinghe also said that proposals regarding the security and accommodation facilities of doctors had been included in the recommendations submitted by the GMOA during the economic crisis.
He further stated that they are currently working with the public security authorities and the Police to implement an effective mechanism.
He also pointed out that not only sexual assaults but also other issues, such as threats from wild animals, have become major concerns regarding the security of healthcare staff. "We are resident officers. We don’t have fixed working hours. In this context, those working in remote areas face many security and food-related problems. We have seen in the recent past that hospital staff have been attacked in certain areas. Therefore, a proper programme is needed to address such issues," he said.
He further stated that a proper assessment should be carried out before implementing such measures. "There is no use in addressing these issues one by one. A well-planned programme with everyone’s contribution is required," he added.