Court extends enjoining order until Oct. 31
17 October 2011 03:30 pm
The District Court of Colombo extended the enjoining order issued against the Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA) restraining the association from putting into effect the intended stoppage of work by the medical officers in government hospitals until October 31 and ordered the GMOA to file objections on or before that date.
When the matter was taken up for inquiry before District Judge Ranjith N. Watupola today the GMOA filed a proxy through their registered attorney-at-law Samararatna Associates nominating them as their attorneys-at- law for the case and moved for a date to file objections.
The plaintiff Mrs. Juliana Dahanayake of No 1/27, Old Kottawa Road, Mirihana Nugegoda, filed this action in the District Court of Colombo claimed that the petitioner who is a chest patient while being treated at the Jayewardenepura General Hospital and at the clinic of the Post Graduate Medical Training Centre following her ailment becoming chronic when she was warded at the National Hospital for three consecutive days from September 23. She submitted that presently and had been treated at the Sri Jayewardenepura Hospital.
The plaintiffs Counsel Chandana Perera instructed by Sunethra Ratnasekara appearing for the plaintiff contended there was a valid agreement between the plaintiff and the government of Sri Lanka to treat his client for her ailment and if the intended work stoppage was enforced it would violate the guidelines on ethical conduct for medical and dental practitioners registered with the members of the Sri Lanka Medical Council.
He said the medical practitioners were ethically bound to follow them by Oath of Hippocrates and if the intended work stoppage was put into force it would cause an irreparable loss to the petitioner and other patients.
The counsel moved to extend the injunction restraining the Association from enforcing any work stoppage by the Government Medical Officers until the adjudication of the case.
(T. Farook Thajudeen)