February 27, Colombo (LNW): Healthcare unions across Sri Lanka are set to take action today (27) in response to what they have called ‘unjustified cuts to allowances’ in the 2025 national budget.
The Government Nursing Officers’ Association (GNOA) has confirmed that its members will stage a demonstration outside government hospitals around the island, coinciding with the lunch hour from 12.00 p.m. to 1.00 p.m.
This protest is aimed at drawing attention to the financial reductions affecting healthcare workers, which they argue undermine their essential contributions to the public health system.
In a statement issued by the GNOA, Vice President Nalaka Hettiarachchi assured the public that whilst the protest will take place, it will not interfere with essential hospital operations or patient care during the demonstration.
Hettiarachchi emphasised that the protest is designed to be a peaceful display of dissatisfaction, aimed at urging the government to reconsider the budget cuts impacting healthcare workers’ allowances.
Meanwhile, in a parallel development, the President of the Public Health Inspectors’ (PHIs) Association, Upul Rohana, revealed that health inspectors in the Eastern Province will join the protest in a different form.
These workers will engage in a token strike by reporting sick leave as a form of protest against restrictions placed on overtime hours. Rohana explained that this action is in response to a decision in the 2025 Budget to limit overtime work, which, according to the association, has a direct impact on the livelihood of public health inspectors who rely on these additional hours.
The discontent surrounding the 2025 Budget has also sparked frustration amongst other sectors of the healthcare workforce. The Principal-Grade Officers’ Association, which represents a range of senior healthcare professionals, has expressed disappointment over their exclusion from the expected allowances in the latest budget.
The Association’s President announced that plans are already in motion to organise a larger-scale protest in Colombo in the coming days to voice their concerns and demand fair compensation for their roles.
