Health Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne stated that the anti-SAITM protest which resulted in an attack on the Health Ministry was an organized execution by the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA).

He stated that the GMOA was hoping for a casualty to disrupt the status quo where the medical students were scheduled to recommence lectures on Monday (26).

The Minister stated this upon attending an emergency media briefing organized to address the protest conducted yesterday (22), where university students attacked the Health Ministry and destroyed public property.

He also pointed out the irony of the situation, where the anti-SAITM protesters who attacked the Health Ministry subsequently received treatment from the very hospitals controlled by the Health Ministry.

He added that even GMOA members were employed under the Ministry of Health and under the Ministry’s payroll.

Meanwhile, the Minister affirmed that representatives of certain political parties had also participated in the protest.

The protesters had reportedly broken into the Health Ministry and wreaked havoc by behaving violently and destroying doors, windows, finger print scanners and other property amounting up to millions of rupees.

The Health Minister stated that the Armed Forces and the Police had attempted to remove the protesters from the premises when the dispute broke out, which resulted in injuries to both parties. He added that a Special Task Force (STF) officer was receiving treatment in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) after having sustained severe injuries.

Meanwhile, a parliamentary debate also took place at 4.30 pm today (22) over the recent anti-SAITM protest which took place yesterday (22).