August 25, Colombo (LNW): A planned nationwide strike by government medical officers across Sri Lanka has been cancelled just hours before it was set to begin, after key representatives from the health sector secured written commitments from authorities.
The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA), which had earlier announced an island-wide token strike to commence at 8:00 a.m. today (25), made the decision to withdraw the action following late-night talks with Minister of Health and Mass Media Dr Nalinda Jayatissa.
The meeting also included senior officials from the Ministry of Health.
According to Dr Prabath Sugathadasa, Secretary of the GMOA, the decision was taken in light of written assurances provided by the Health Minister to address their concerns, some of which have been building over months of frustration within the public healthcare system.
The strike had been initially proposed as a response to a series of long-standing grievances, including the deteriorating state of rural hospitals, government pressure on patients to procure medicines privately due to shortages, and systemic failures jeopardising the nation’s free healthcare services.
The Association warned of an imminent breakdown in the quality of care if urgent reforms were not enacted.
In particular, the GMOA has repeatedly raised alarm over what it describes as a “breakdown” in the process of deploying doctors to underserved areas, accusing the Ministry of Health of operating with opacity, inefficiency, and disregard for proper administrative procedure.
