Health strike suspended until 07 Feb following President’s intervention

By Rathindra Kuruwita

The health sector strike launched by 72 trade unions was suspended yesterday until 07 February, according to President of the Joint Council of Professions Supplementary to Medicine, Ravi Kumudesh.

All health services will return to normal from 6.30am today (03).Kumudesh said the President had agreed to arrange for a meeting between the trade unions and Finance Ministry officials on 06 February to resolve the matter.

If the government failed to meet their demand, the unions would recommence the strike, Kumudesh warned.

“Since 2020, we have not demanded anything from the government, given the country’s situation. We also did a lot to protect the healthcare system. We were the first to expose the procurement of substandard medicine and other instances of corruption. The healthcare system is in serious crisis, and it is the dedication of all health staff that has prevented the system from collapsing a long time ago,” he said.

Kumudesh said the trade unions had been compelled to resort to a strike in protest against unjust decisions made by the Ministry of Health. He said that the Ministry had misled the government when it recommended that the Disturbance, Availability and Transport (DAT) allowance should only be increased for doctors.

“The doctors should get a salary hike. This is just. But what about everyone else in the healthcare system? Shouldn’t they also deserve some consideration?” he asked.

Kumudesh said that the doctors claim that their DAT allowance should be about 260,000 rupees and that they only got an allowance of 70,000 rupees.

“The doctors excel at coming up with figures like this. They consider factors such as inflation, the price of petrol, and more. They analyze these elements in comparison to the earnings of doctors in the US or the UK, deriving figures accordingly. It is crucial to emphasize that these figures are not excessive. What is advocated for is a fair mechanism for the increment of all workers’ salaries. Economic justice should be extended to everyone, not just the privileged few,” he said.

Kumudesh emphasized that the nation is facing a severe crisis and highlighted that focusing solely on the well-being of the health sector won’t address the overall situation. He said it’s futile if all other aspects collapse, even if we have a healthcare system comparable to the Scandinavian model.

“Increasing doctors’ salaries won’t ensure the smooth operation of the healthcare system. What is needed is the development of the entire healthcare system. While we don’t object to doctors receiving salaries comparable to their counterparts in the UK, it becomes inconsequential if others, within the system, are demoralized and feel undervalued,” he said.

The lab technician said that the government decides on salaries according to certain principles and policies. Currently, the salaries of the government service are determined by Public Administration Circular No: 06/2006 which restructured public service salaries based on 2006 budget proposals.

“This circular created a number of serious problems in the healthcare system. From the Health Minister to all the administrative officers in the Health Ministry are doctors. They only understand their problems. They don’t understand any of the issues we face, and that’s why they have misled the government this time too,” he said.