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Doctors to strike
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The Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA) said today its members would stage a countrywide token strike on November 4.It said the Public Services Commission (PSC) had applied a regulation meant for grade-1 public administrators to government doctors and that this was unacceptable.
GMOA spokesman Dr. Naveen De Soysa said the doctors were on grade-2 among public servants, but a suggestion by the cabinet to hold grade-1 promotions had been applied to doctors by the PSC.
“A Cabinet decision to hold grade-1 promotions for public administrators as there was no vacancies. But the commission has applied it on us as well,” he said. “Circular 2006-(6) says that the first promotion will be given to government doctors after completing 10 years in service but it says that the promotion can be given in six years by taking into account excellence in performing duties,” he said.
Dr. Soysa said what was wrong is that though these regulations are mentioned in the circular, they have not been implemented and the doctors are given a service promotion only after completing 18 years in service.
“Then we have to be in service for nearly 30 years to get the first service promotion. So we had discussions with the Health Ministry, Finance Ministry, Public Administration Ministry and the Salary Commission, they all agreed to the necessity of implementing them because it takes nearly 10 years to get into the service after completing studies and the internship,” he said.
Dr. Soysa said we have to stay for more than 18 years to get a service promotion though most of the doctors pursue higher studies which make them professionally qualified.
“The Executive Committee took a decision to launch a token strike on November 4 urging that these matters be resolved,” he said.
Dr. Soysa said accident and emergency services would be carried out without interruption. (Supun Dias)
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