The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) has alleged that specialist medical posts are being eliminated at five major state hospitals, even as Sri Lanka grapples with a shortfall of around 900 specialist doctors nationwide.
GMOA President Dr. Sanjeewa Thennakoon said specialist units have been removed or marked for closure at the National Hospital of Sri Lanka, Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children, Colombo North Teaching Hospital, the Colombo North Centre for Liver Diseases and the District General Hospital in Vavuniya. Affected services include ICU specialist positions, OPD specialist posts and a dedicated children’s specialist unit.
Dr. Thennakoon said Sri Lanka requires roughly 3,000 specialist doctors but only 2,100 are currently in service. He warned the latest cuts could accelerate the migration of senior medical staff already leaving the public system.
Deputy Health Minister Dr. Hansaka Wijemuni rejected the allegation that posts were being abolished arbitrarily. He said between 6,000 and 7,000 doctors had received transfer orders, most of which had been approved by the relevant boards before the current administration took office. The implementation deadline for the transfer cycle is May 8.
“A small group, including some affiliated with GMOA, was unwilling to move. They disrupted the entire system,” the deputy minister said, adding that replacement arrangements were being made to prevent service gaps.
The dispute is the structural grievance that drove the GMOA’s nine-day token strike, which was suspended on April 6 ahead of talks with Health Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa scheduled for April 9. Specialist deployment and transfer policy are expected to dominate that discussion.
