11 August 2021 02:34 pm
The Government Nursing Officers' Association (GNOA) today threatened to resort to a Trade Union action, if the Government fails to declare a practical and scientific lockdown claiming that the health sector is at a grave risk of getting contracted with Covid-19.
GNOA President Saman Rathnapriya told a news conference that more than 1,000 nurses have contracted the virus and altogether around 5,000 personnel in the health sector have been infected by the virus so far.
He said three health sector employees, including a doctor had died of the dreaded Covid viral infection recently.
"The country will have to confront a serious situation, if the health sector of the country has become sick. More than 1,000 nurses have already been infected with the virus. Three deaths have been reported among the health sector including a doctor and an attendant recently. A total number of 25 nurses in the Kandy National Hospital, eight nurses in the Matara Hospital, 12 in Karawanella and 11 nurses in the Anuradhapura Hospital have contracted the virus during the last few days," he said. He further added that if the health sector becomes sick, the whole country will be in danger.
Rathnapriya said a practical and scientific lockdown should be declared just as in Australia and New Zealand without keeping the country locked down for months but to utilise the lockdown period to prevent the spread of the disease.
He said once the lockdown is declared, the number of PCR tests should be increased to round up all the infected persons in the community.
"At least 100,000 PCR tests should be conducted in a day. We will volunteer to conduct PCR tests. There are 38,000 nurses in the country," he said.
He said Health TUs are ready to resort to a trade union action and force the Government to go for a lockdown and urge them to take steps to prevent the spread before the situation worsens.(Ajith Siriwardana)