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Docs at Kalubowila to strike
The GMOA branch union at the Colombo South Teaching Hospital at Kalubowila is set to launch a strike tomorrow. The 425 doctors working at the hospital are to strike on Monday and escalate their action if no answer is given to their demands within 2 weeks. However, the GMOA said that while patients would be told to enter other hospitals for treatment on that day, emergencies would be handled at Kalubowila itself.

The strike action is to demand the resolution of several long-standing issues chief among which are payment of arrears in respect of extra-duty work and allowances for working on public holidays and weekends. These payments have reportedly not been made for the past 4 to 5 months.

The doctors are also protesting over the security service employed at the hospital premises for the past 2 years. They state that even though there should be at least 33 security personnel per shift, only 7 to 10 are present.

The Hospital Director had requested the Health Ministry to replace the company since vehicles have been stolen from the car park, house officers quarters burgled and seedy characters enter the hospital premises through the rear entrance which has no security guard posted.

However, no action has been taken so far. Doctors say earlier requests to change the security company resulted in a separate company with the same board of directors being selected and the same situation continuing.

The GMOA branch union spokesman has accused the Deputy Director General of the building and logistics unit of the ministry of taking bribes and appealed to the minister to inquire into the matter.

Several other issues have also been highlighted, including the delay in renovating the house officers quarters, which has been going on for the past 1½ years though the contract period had been only 3 months. The need for at least 2 or 3 deputy directors to handle the smooth running of the hospital is another issue.

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