News
GMOA flays PSC official, asks Prez to intervene
Dispute over appointments and transfers:
The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) has requested President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s intervention to prevent L.A. Kalukapuarachchi, Secretary, Health Sub Committee of Public Service Commission, from interfering in the appointments and transfers of medical officers.
GMOA President Dr. Anuruddha Padeniya has urged the President to ensure that appointment and transfer process proceeds smoothly.
The following is the text of the letter, dated Nov 23: “Deployment of Medical Officers throughout the length and breadth of the country, in an equitable manner, is achieved by scientifically formulated appointment and transfer policy and process which has been proceeding smoothly.
This has resulted in Medical Services of Sri Lanka being repeatedly commended at international level.
As Your Excellency is well aware, the medical services were provided uninterrupted during periods of state emergencies such as the Civil War and tsunami, as well as the current global pandemic of COVID-19 as the aforementioned deployment process was smoothly proceeding without any interruption with the cooperation of the Public Service Commission.
The duty of the Public Service Commission is to ensure that Transfer Procedures adhere with the Government policies, rules and regulations.
However, with the recent establishment of the Health Committee of the Public Service Commission, the Secretary of which Mr. L. A. Kalukapuarachchi has been giving contradictory definitions for the circulars challenging the decisions of Transfer Boards.
Such conflicts have created a hindrance in appointments and transfers of Government Medical Officers
Most recent disagreement occurred when the PSC defined the “Effective Date of Grade Medical Officers Annual Transfer List” as the date of reporting to the relevant station, while the respective Circulars and Gazette Notifications declare otherwise.
We have been informed that the Director General of Health Services Dr. Asela Gunawardena has convinced the Health Committee of PSC regarding the “Effective Date” in a meeting on 10.11.2021. Despite that, Mr. Kalukapuarachchi issued a letter dated on 15.11.2021 giving a de novo definition for the “Effective Date of Grade Medical Officers Annual Transfers”
The above matter has affected the Medical Officers’ Transfers delaying allocations including rural stations.
As the Government Medical Officers Association, we have repeatedly requested to rectify the above matter by writing to the Minister of Health and Secretary to the Ministry of Health. We are making representations to Your Excellency as all our efforts have failed to rectify the situation.
Hence, we earnestly request Your Excellency to intervene in this issue in order to ensure appointment and transfer process proceed smoothly in adherence to policy, rules and regulations.
This will ensure smooth functioning of our health care services with special emphasis on equitable distribution of human resources.”
Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya participated in a high-level dialogue titled “Tourism as Soft Power and Diplomatic Capital” held at the Euronews Hub, Piz Buin Davos, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum on January 20.
The session explored how tourism functions as a strategic instrument of diplomacy by strengthening international trust, cultural exchange, and regional cooperation through mobility and people-to-people engagement. The Prime Minister shared the panel with Mr. Kuban Omiraliyev, Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States and Mr. Meshari Alnahar – CEO Aseer Investment Company, Saudi Arabia.
Addressing global trends, the Prime Minister emphasized that Sri Lanka is an example of hope, recovery and resilience in a world of conflict demonstrating how tourism can play a critical role in a changing global environment particularly amid climate shocks, geopolitical instability, and uneven economic recovery. She noted that tourism is not only an economic sector but also a vital diplomatic bridge that supports livelihoods, builds relationships and connects people.
Drawing on Sri Lanka’s recent experience, she highlighted the country’s strong tourism recovery despite multiple crises, including the impact of Cyclone Ditwah. Transparent crisis management and strategic engagement with international partners helped sustain visitor confidence, resulting in record tourist arrivals even in challenging circumstances.
The Prime Minister also underscored the importance of green and climate friendly tourism infrastructure and underlined that Sri Lanka welcomes long term investment in tourism. She pointed out that tourism supports millions of jobs worldwide and that inclusive policies are essential to ensure fair opportunities, particularly for women and vulnerable communities.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
During an operation conducted in the dark hours of 20 Jan 26, the Sri Lanka Navy seized two (02) Indian fishing boats and apprehended seven (07) Indian fishermen while they were poaching in Sri Lankan waters, off Kovilan, Jaffna.
The seized boats and Indian fishermen was to be handed over to the Fisheries Inspector of Myliddy, Jaffna for onward legal proceedings.
Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya participated in a series of high-level bilateral meetings on January 20 on the sidelines of the 56th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland.
The Prime Minister attended a productive bilateral meeting with Mr. Jozef Síkela, European Commissioner for International Partnerships. During the discussion, both sides focused on strengthening Sri Lanka–EU cooperation and advancing mutual interests.
Prime Minister Amarasuriya also met with Mr. Masato Kanda, President and Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), at the WEF Congress Centre. The meeting provided an opportunity to discuss ongoing engagement and future collaboration between Sri Lanka and the ADB.
In addition, the Prime Minister held discussions with Mr. Hassan El Houry, Chairman of Menzies Aviation, where opportunities for collaboration in aviation services and connectivity were explored.
The Prime Minister also participated in a high-level dialogue at the Global Tourism Forum held at the Euronews Hub, Piz Buin, Davos, as part of the World Economic Forum engagements.
Dr. Anil Jayantha, Minister of Labour, and the Deputy Minister of Finance were also present at these meetings.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
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