• 685 medical professionals expected to return after foreign specialisation training   

While the extension of the retirement age of medical professionals, including medical specialists until 63 years of age, is to be implemented only until 31 December 2024, the Ministry of Health is to assess the issues that may arise in the health sector following that period and take necessary steps to address such.

A circular was issued on 14 September 2022 specifying that the retirement age of all public servants will be 60 years, irrespective of the specifications that had been defined previously.

Following the said decision, 176 medical specialists had filed a case before the Court of Appeal seeking a writ order against the Government’s decision. During the hearing of the case, the ministry had, in June 2023, given an undertaking that medical professionals’ retirement age would be 63 years, subject to the approval of the Cabinet of Ministers.

A circular issued by the ministry’s Secretary Janaka Sri Chandraguptha on 21 July 2023 reads that the Cabinet had, on 17 July 2023, decided that the interim arrangement of extending the medical professionals’ retirement age to 63 years should come to an end on 31 December 2024 and that medical professionals should thereafter retire at the age of 60 years as other categories of public servants.

However, concerns have been raised over the situation that may arise after 31 December 2024, given the high rate of migration of medical professionals and significant shortages of manpower at hospitals islandwide.

Speaking to The Daily Morning on the matter, Chandraguptha said: “Those between the ages of 60 and 63 years should retire by 31 December 2024. There will be no issue until then. We will have to analyse the situation that may arise after that time and make appropriate decisions. There are about 685 medical professionals who have gone abroad for specialist training and are due to return to the country. We don’t know if they will come or not, but they are due to return.”

He also said that the ministry’s request was to extend the medical professionals’ retirement age to 63 years irrespective of a specific time period, but that it was the Cabinet that had decided to conclude the arrangement by 31 December 2024. “We requested the Government to take a policy decision on this matter and the Cabinet has taken this decision. So, we have to comply with that decision.”

The Daily Morning also learns that the relevant Cabinet memorandum submitted by Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella, seeking the approval to make medical professionals’ retirement age 63 years, did not include any time period for which the arrangement should be in place.

While several leading government hospitals are seeing a significant shortage of medical professionals at present, particularly medical specialists, the ministry has recently decided to recall retired medical professionals on a contract basis.