Supplementary medical professionals threaten to return to strike
By Dinitha RathnayakeThose employed in professions supplementary to medicine claimed that the Ministry of Health does not yet have a proper plan for the submission of the relevant Cabinet Memorandums which the Health Minister promised them during their trade union action recently.Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi agreed to provide the same relief to those employed in the professions supplementary to medicine (PSMs) which was earlier provided for nurses.A letter issued under the signature of the Director General of Health Services (DGHS) Dr. Asela Gunawardena on 6 July mentioned that the Health Minister had agreed to submit the relevant Cabinet paper containing the Union’s demands to the next Cabinet of Ministers meeting today (12).She also handed over a document in writing that the demands would be met and that the demands granted for the nursing staff should be equally given to other affiliated unions as well.The Joint Council of PSMs President Ravi Kumudesh said: “We have observed that the Ministry of Health does not yet have a proper plan for the submission of the relevant Cabinet Memorandums and we emphasise that arrangements by various other parties will not be accepted.“If the Cabinet Memorandum for Supplementary Medical Services and Paramedical Services is not submitted to the Cabinet of Ministers today as per the relevant agreement, the strike action suspended from Wednesday will have to be resumed. We apologise for the inconvenience.”PSMs have called off their strike action following talks with the Health Minister on 6 July stating: “We temporarily suspended our strike action until 12 July. However, we would launch our strike if the Health Minister is unable to bring our demands to the Cabinet.”These trade unions represented laboratory technicians, radiologists, and pharmacists as well as public health inspectors.The Joint Council of PSMs was unhappy about President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s decision to provide immediate solutions to five out of the seven demands made by the Public Services United Nurses Union. The President assured to provide solutions to the other two demands from the next Budget during a meeting held with the Nurses Union leaders.The Joint Council of PSMs warned that they would also be compelled to take Union action unless the Health Ministry took action to redress their grievances, especially with regard to including their services in the gazette notification that addressed the issues of the nurses.
