News
Health professionals launch strike, claim some TUs have misled Prez
48-hour token strike gets underway
By Rathindra Kuruwita
The issues faced by health professionals will not be solved by granting chancellor posts to vocal trade union leaders, College of Medical Laboratory Science (CMLS) President, Ravi Kumudesh told The Island yesterday.
Kumudesh said that the ego of ministers and the incompetence of officials had led to a number of strikes and demonstrations that inconvenienced the people.
Speaking about the 48-hour token strike, which was launched yesterday at 7.00 am, by 15 health sector non-medical trade unions over irregularities in promotions, salary anomalies and several other issues in their services, Kumudesh said that the President had been misled by a few trade unions.
“All health sector decisions are made after consulting a few people in one trade union and these decisions have angered everyone else. People are blaming the President. This token strike could have been easily avoided if the health authorities had been flexible enough to listen to us,” he said.
Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa had told Parliament that the President had instructed him to solve the issues faced by health sector professionals, Kumudesh said, adding that however, the Finance Minister had not taken any steps to solve those issues through the budget.
“The Secretary to the Ministry of Health apparently has no idea about the statement made by the Finance Minister in Parliament. The Secretary had not had a single meeting with the unions to resolve this crisis. Initially, we thought that he was not ready to meet us because he had a military mindset. But we were wrong, he is not meeting us because he can’t solve our issues,” he said.
Given that neither the politicians nor officials were ready to solve the issues faced by health professionals, the unions were compelled to act, Kumudesh said. “This token strike is aimed at remaining politicians and officials to let them know that the unions are ready to escalate if their demands are not met,” he said.
“We urge the President, the Prime Minister and Health Minister to step in and solve this issue. Don’t let it escalate and inconvenience the people. This is your responsibility. Over 50,000 have joined this token strike,” Kumudesh said.
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Landslide Early Warnings issued to the districts of Kalutara, Nuwara Eliya and Ratnapura
The Landslide Early Warning Centre of the National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) has issued early warnings to the Districts of Kalutara, Nuwara Eliya and Ratnapura from 1600hrs on 13th June 2026 till 1600hrs on 14th June 2026.
Accordingly,
LEVEL I (YELLOW) landslide early warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surounding areas of Palindanuwara and Agalawatta in the Kalutara district, Ambagamuwa in the Nuwara Eliya and Ayagama, Pelmadulla,
Godakawela, Elapatha, Kalawana, Ratnapura and Nivithigala in the Ratnapura district.
News
INS Sharda departs Colombo concluding replenishment visit
The Indian Naval Ship (INS) ‘Sharda’ departed the island today (13 Jun 26), concluding her replenishment purposes.
On departure the vessel was accorded a traditional naval farewell by the Sri Lanka Navy at the Port of Colombo.
The visit also paved the way for vibrant personnel interactions, fostering camaraderie and goodwill. The crew of INS Sharda and personnel from the Sri Lanka Navy participated in a
friendly volleyball match and a joint yoga session. A
dditionally, Sri Lanka Navy personnel had the opportunity to visit the Indian naval vessel, while the visiting crew took time to explore several culturally significant landmarks across the island.
Latest News
Special Dengue Prevention Week declared in Colombo District from June 15 to 21
A decision has been taken to declare a Special Dengue Prevention Week from 15 to 21 of June by the Colombo District Dengue Control Committee to curb the spread of the disease in the Colombo District.
This decision was taken at the meeting of the Colombo District Dengue Control Committee held on Friday (12) at the Colombo District Secretariat under the patronage of Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya.
Compared to last year, the number of dengue cases reported this year has increased significantly. According to the National Dengue Control Unit, approximately 39,100 dengue cases have been reported island wide to date, of which 25.8% have been recorded in the Colombo District. Following this situation, the Colombo District has been identified as a high-risk district.
Health authorities informed that the increasing spread of the disease has been influenced not only by the nature of circulating virus but also to the lack of sufficient immunity among the population. They further noted that the recent period of heavy rainfall has aggravated the spread of Dengue.
It was also identified that the current outbreak is being reported more frequently from public places such as government institutions, private establishments, schools, and religious venues rather than from residential premises. Observations have identified improperly managed solid waste and drainage systems in offices and other public locations as major breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
Accordingly, during the Dengue Prevention Week from 15 to 21 June, a series of measures will be implemented, including, organising community clean-up campaigns in government and private institutions, schools, residential areas, and other public spaces; Conducting inspections of high-risk premises by Divisional Secretariats and taking legal action, where necessary, followed by awareness programmes; Distributing informational leaflets, displaying banners, and carrying out public awareness campaigns through the media. Health authorities also requested school administrations not to involve students below Grade 10 in school cleaning programmes and to immediately notify the relevant Medical Officer of Health (MOH) office if a student is diagnosed with dengue.
The programme is expected to receive the active support and participation of the district’s political leadership, religious leaders of all faiths, public officials, local government institutions, the tri-forces, the police, and the general public.
The event was attended by the Chairperson of the District Coordination Committee, Members of Parliament, representatives of local government authorities, government secretaries, police officers, and officials representing the education and health sectors, among others.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
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