The Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA) said it would be launching an islandwide strike action from 8 am tomorrow (21), based on seven demands, including resolving issues regarding the granting of post-internship appointments.
The GMOA is still on strike in five districts today, alleging that the Health Secretary has acted arbitrarily in granting post-internship appointments.
The 2022 Budget for the Lindula Urban Council ruled by the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) has been defeated in a second row.
The Budget was tabled by UC Chairman Lechchumun Bharatidasan and defeated with a majority of two votes.
Two SLPP UC members have also voted in opposition to the Budget, according to reports.
The academic activities of 2022 for Grade 01 students will commence from April, revealed Education Minister Dinesh Gunawardena speaking to media in Kandy today (20).
The process of enrolling Grade 01 students will be carried out as usual, he added.
The 2021 Scholarship Examination is expected to be held at the end of February and the G.C.E. Advanced Level Examination will be held thereafter.
The G.C.E. Ordinary Level Examination is set to be held in May next year.
The Representative Conference of the National People’s Power (NPP) led by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) is currently being held at the Monarch Imperial Hall of Sri Jayawardenapura.
The conference is being held under the theme, “The Solution to Build a Broken Motherland” and can be viewed live on all NPP/JVP Social Media.
There was no wrongdoing on the part of the Health Ministry in granting post-internship appointments to medical doctors and the appointments were made on a priority basis taking into account the vacancies, said acting Deputy Director General of Health (Health Services) Specialist Dr. G. Wijesuriya, responding to the token strike launched by the Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA) in five districts in protest of the transfer boards.
There was no need to strike if there was a problem, the acting Deputy Director General noted, in what he described as an act of ‘sabotage,’ adding that such a dispute can be complained to the Public Service Commission.
Dr. Wijesuriya explained that in preparing the transfer boards, vacancy documents are being obtained from the Provincial Directors of Health, District Directors of Health as well as Hospital Directors and given in order of priority.
Revealing that there are about three thousand medical vacancies islandwide, the acting Deputy Director General of Health added that appointments have been made with priority in mind and the GMOA too has been involved in the process to further ensure transparency.
He added that none of the essential services are disrupted by the strike action and the rumours that the Hingurakgoda Covid Treatment Centre was closed were false. As of now, 17 medical officers have been assigned at the centre treating about 120 patients, he added.
About five hundred new appointments will be made today and more than a thousand more will be given appointments by January 15, 2022, the acting Deputy Director General of Health added.
Essential hospital equipment worth Rs. 2,360,000 is set to be donated under the 34th phase of the ‘Jana Suwaya’ Project undertaken by the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) as part of the ‘Samagi Jana Balawegayen Husmak’ initiative launched in relieving those affected by the Covid-19 Pandemic.
The hospital equipment will be donated in memory of Music Legend Sunil Perera whose uncanny contribution to the Sri Lankan Music for decades lingers in the corridors of time.
The hospital equipment consists of eight Edan Multipara Monitors worth Rs. 295,000 each.
The “Samagi Jana Balawegayen Husmak” initiative is supported and funded by the efforts of the SJB Parliamentary Group, organisers, local and overseas members and donors with the aim of promoting and protecting the lives of Sri Lankans through the provision of life saving medical equipment to the government hospital sector amid the Covid-19 Pandemic.
Earlier, the initiative donated medical equipment worth Rs. 99,250,000.00 on 33 phases.
The Sapugaskanda Oil Refinery may have to be closed again given the current situation, warned Ananda Palitha, a trade union leader of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation, speaking to a briefing held in the Opposition Leader’s Office yesterday (19).
“As far as we know, a debt of US$500 million has been approved allowing us to obtain oil from India. But we only have to borrow from India. For the moment we only have the confidence that we will be given US$500 million. A clear crisis has now entered the country. I say with responsibility that if the US$500 million is the liability, the Refinery may have to be closed. There is no oil ship after the last one, even to this day. The Minister is looking for crude oil ships in Sri Lankan Rupees. We have to ask whether the Minister has lost his mind!” he said.
Leader of the House Minister Dinesh Gunawardena responding to reporters after a programme held in a Temple in Gelioya yesterday (19) stated that there is no resolution was tabled in the Cabinet to delay the Provincial Council Election.
However, Minister of Provincial Councils and Local Governments Roshan Ranasinghe speaking to media on a recent occasion claimed that the government had decided to postpone the holding of the Provincial Council Election by a year.
Water Supply Minister Vasudewa Nanayakkara speaking to a briefing held yesterday (19) said his early comments on not being in the government anymore over any decision to seek the support of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) were based on the guarantee made by Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa at the Cabinet that such an action would not be taken.
“There should also be a collective responsibility. In any event was there a problem in the collective responsibility, we should be finding solutions to that as well. A collective responsibility is also possible in the event of a Cabinet decision made without our knowledge. But we remind the fact that we have the right to raise our concerns separately because the decision was not made with our understanding and consent.
If there is a chance to vote at Parliament, we would use our vote against the resolution even today.”
Q: There was a vote for the Budget in the recent days?
“The Yugadanavi was not in the Budget, was it? I was in the stance of not being in the government if it decides to seek the support of the IMF. Because Mr. Basil Rajapaksa clearly mentioned at the Cabinet that it is even impossible to imagine of a deal with the IMF at this point.”
“The Rich Class of this country makes no sacrifices. They enjoy their luxuries and travel around the world as usual, along with their entire families in the holidays. Not the Ministers.”
Q: But Finance Minister Basil too left the country about two days ago?
“Mr. Basil’s family is in abroad. So he has to go there. Who else he should be seeing other than his family?”
Students of the Law Faculty of the University of Colombo too demonstrated their displeasure over the appointment of Venerable Muruththettuwe Ananda Thero as the Chancellor of the University by refusing to accept their graduation at the Convocation.
A group of graduates were seen avoiding the Thera and appearing for a photo with only the Vice Chancellor at the Convocation as their names were being called on stage, making the Thera very uncomfortable.
Some of the students, on the other hand, accepted their graduation at the hand of the Thera.
Ven. Muruththettuwe Ananda Thero was appointed as the Chancellor of the University of Colombo by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, leading to a storm of criticisms and objections by many parties, including university students and lecturers.
