Lankan doctors protest hiring of Indian practitioners
July 19, 2011 11:30 pm
Sri Lankan doctors today voiced opposition to the authorities’ move to allow over 100 medical practitioners from India to serve in this country’s private hospitals despite “lack” of necessary qualifications and vowed to take trade union action.
“We are disturbed by the decision by the Sri Lanka Medical Council and the Director General Health Services to allow over 100 Indian doctors to serve here who are lacking the necessary qualifications,” said Upul Gunasekera, a senior official of the doctors’ trade union, the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA).
Gunasekera said the GMOA’s executive committee will meet on Thursday to decide on a suitable course of trade union action in protest.
“Two Indian heart surgeons have been allowed to work here since last week. We represented matters to the medical council over their unsuitability to work. They were ignored and they have been registered to work despite our protests,” he said.
Gunasekera claimed that some of the Indian doctors who serve here had not even registered with India’s national medical council.
Sri Lankan heart surgeons are not allowed to handle surgeries unless they have undergone eight years of training. But, the Indian doctors are being allowed to handle heart surgeries with just 11 months of training, he charged. (IE)
