• Backs legal action against docs leaving sans notification per system, warns of foreign docs’ unregulated entry  

Statements by the Ministry of Health regarding doctors leaving the country are attempts for foreign doctors to infiltrate the health system of this country without any regulation, the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) claimed.

The GMOA objected to a statement by the Director of the Ministry’s Tertiary Care Services Unit, Dr. Priyantha Atapattu regarding doctors leaving the country.

According to the media release by the GMOA, due to economic, social, and political instability and uncertainty about the future of the country, it is true that doctors are migrating, but that aside from that, an operation is being launched to create disfavour towards doctors among the public by spreading false and baseless information about this issue.

“There is a legal system for doctors, including specialists, to leave their jobs and go abroad. We have no objection to taking disciplinary action if any doctor leaves the service without notifying. The Ministry can take legal action against them. But, it is our conclusion that Dr. Atapattu's reference to a 'punishment' is an illegal and unethical statement. Also, attempts to infiltrate the health system of this country by foreign doctors without any regulation are coming to the fore under the guise of this problem. If a foreign doctor wants to work in Sri Lanka, there is a system for that through the Sri Lanka Medical Council. By arbitrarily bringing foreign doctors to Sri Lanka in violation of those procedures, the quality of the health system will deteriorate and the people's lives will be at risk,” the GMOA stated in the media release.

According to the GMOA, what the Ministry should do at this moment is to allow a group of doctors to go abroad under controlled conditions and thereby provide the country with the opportunity to earn foreign exchange.

“Accordingly, the Ministry should come up with policies and programmes to retain the majority of doctors who have decided to stay in the country with the aim of further serving their motherland. It is unacceptable that the Ministry yet does not pay attention to the series of proposals that the GMOA has made”. Therefore, according to the media release, the GMOA has requested that: “it is the responsibility of the Ministry to avoid irresponsible statements and activities and to recognise the true extent of the problem and present a series of short-, medium- and long-term solutions to solve it and implement them to preserve Sri Lanka's free health service.”