All health sector employees except doctors will go on an island-wide strike on Tuesday (Jan. 16), the Paramedical Services Front (PMSF) said.

President of the association Upul Rohana stated that this token strike would be launched in conjunction with 27 trade unions in the health sector.

Meanwhile, the Director of the Colombo National Hospital Dr. Rukshan Bellana emphasized that it was close to midnight when the dinner was served to the patients at the hospital on Thursday (11), owing to the strike of health workers.

Hospital services came to a standstill over last week after paramedical and supplementary health services’ trade unions resorted to token strikes in protest of the government’s decision to increase the Disturbance, Availability and Transport (DAT) allowance for doctors by Rs. 35,000, to Rs. 70,000.

A 24-hour strike was launched by the professionals affiliated with supplementary medical services on Tuesday (Jan.09), followed by the 48-hour strike initiated by the trade unions attached to the Paramedical Services Front (PMSF) on Wednesday (Jan.10).

The paramedical services’ strike was joined by the Public Health Inspectors’ Union (PHIU), the Association of Sri Lanka Ophthalmologists, the Family Health Services Union, the Government Nursing Officers’ Association and several other trade unions.

Against this backdrop, hospital secretaries, administration officers, and healthcare assistants also engaged in a one-day token strike from 6:00 a.m. on Thursday (Jan.11).