News
GMOA issues ultimatum to govt., warns of impending hospital closures
By Rathindra Kuruwita
The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) central committee, on Wednesday (27), decided to take legal action against any unlawful attempts by the government to harass doctors who are leaving the country, Secretary of the GMOA, Dr. Haritha Aluthge said.
Dr. Aluthge told The Island that the GMOA had been asking the government, since 2022, to solve the exodus of medical professionals.
“The government has proposed the establishment of private medical colleges as a solution to the shortage of doctors. Even if we imagine this as a solution, it will take six years for them to produce doctors. Even if these medical colleges are established next week, they can’t produce doctors until late 2029. Is it that the government expects people to suffer without doctors in government hospitals for six years?” he asked.
Dr. Aluthge said some henchmen of the government had said they could bring doctors from other countries. The starting basic salary of a medical specialist in Sri Lanka is 88,000 rupees, which is less than 300 US dollars, he said.
“If foreign medical consultants are to be hired, the government will have to pay least USD 10,000 each. Can we afford that?” he asked.
The GMOA secretary said they would decide on a future course of action based on the response of the government in the next two weeks.
“We are identifying hospitals that are on the verge of closure. Thereafter, we will attach the remaining doctors in those hospitals to main government hospitals. There are many hospitals in the periphery operating without the most essential medicine and at 20 percent of required manpower.”
Approval of the Cabinet of Ministers has been granted at their meeting held on 19.05.2025 in order to introduce amendments to the Inland Revenue Act No. 24 of 2017 including the proposed tax revisions to enhance the tax structure paving way for state financial integrity based on revenue.
Accordingly, the revised draft bill has been prepared by the legal draftsman and clearance of the Attorney General has been received.
Therefore, the Cabinet of Ministers has granted approval for
the resolution furnished by the President in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Policy Planning and Economic Development to publish the aforementioned draft bill in the government gazette notification and subsequently, forward the same to the Parliament for its concurrence.
The National Mineral Policy was prepared for the first time in the year 1999, and the aforementioned policy has been amended in 2023 to cover matters such as preparing an updated data system related to mineral resources, adding value to the export of minerals, encouraging mineral-related industrialists, extracting mineral resources and managing the environment sustainably, and resolving the issues related to the ownership of the land arising in extracting mineral resources.
The revised National Mineral Policy has been reupdated in line with the manifesto “A Sustainable Resource Utilization – Generation of the Highest Benefit” under the policy statement of the current government” A Thriving Nation – A Beautiful Life.”
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the resolution presented by the Minister of Industries and
Entrepreneurship to implement the so-formulated “National Mineral Policy—2026.”
The Gampaha High Court has sentenced Twelve (12) individuals to death over the 2022 murder of former Polonnaruwa District Member of Parliament Amarakeerthi Athukorala and his security officer.
Amendment of the Inland Revenue Act No. 24 of 2017
Cabinet nod for “National Mineral Policy” – 2026
Twelve sentenced to death by Gampaha High Court
Ten new buses with facilities for people with special needs
Ghosts of 2016 writ large as England, West Indies meet again
Amendment to the regulations for registration of Subscriber SIM Cards (Subscriber Identity Modules- SIM) and reregistration of subscriber information related to the SIM cards obtained before 02-08-2019
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
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