The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) has announced that it will begin a 48-hour nationwide token strike starting from 8:00 a.m. tomorrow (09).

The token strike is being launched in protest of the Health Ministry granting Post-Graduate Internships in violation of conditions agreed upon during discussions.

According to a statement issued by the GMOA, the union had initiated several trade union actions in response to attempts to politicize the transfer process of doctors. 

A discussion between the GMOA and the Minister of Health had been scheduled for tomorrow with the intervention of the President, the statement said.

The GMOA stated that the agreement was to suspend the transfer list of the relevant post-intern doctors until the conclusion of the relevant discussion. 

However, the Ministry of Health has proceeded to publish the transfer list of the post-intern doctors, it said.

The association further noted that this action undermines the basic principles of resolving issues through discussion and constitutes a breach of trust. It described the move as unacceptable and highly unethical, particularly at a time when efforts were being made by GMOA to resolve the matter through discussion.

The GMOA further stated that such actions cannot be ignored, particularly in the absence of the Minister of Health who is out of the country.

Accordingly, the Executive Committee of the GMOA has decided to proceed with the island-wide strike from 8:00 a.m. tomorrow. 

The association has given authorities until that 8.00 a.m. tomorrow to immediately withdraw the published list and resolve the issue, warning that failure to do so would make the Minister of Health and relevant officials responsible for any inconvenience caused to the public due to the strike.