Health Ministry to get tough on doctors who leave country

8 September 2023 07:02 am Views - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}} 39 Bookmark

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In the wake of the incident where the only consultant anaesthetist at the Embilipitiya District General Hospital had left the hospital without prior notice, the Health Ministry said stringent actions will be taken against doctors who travel overseas without prior notice.

This was revealed by Deputy Director General (Medical Services) Dr. G. Wijesuriya.

According to Dr. Wijesuriya, doctors are not allowed to leave the country without prior permission from the health authorities.

“In the current context, we have noticed a growing trend of doctors leaving the country citing a host of reasons. However, if a doctor leaves the country without a prior notice, provisions are available to take legal actions,”

“Hereafter, we are taking stern actions against such doctors along with pertinent legal actions. The nature of the actions will be announced in near future. As such, the doctors who travel overseas without prior notice will be dealt with accordingly,” Dr Wijesuriya added.

Meanwhile, a Health Ministry official earlier told Daily Mirror that a total of 103 specialist doctors who have migrated illegally and neglected their responsibilities have been blacklisted and steps are underway to blacklist more doctors.

Comments - 39

LP Friday, 08 September 2023 07:32 AM

Very good , blacklisting is the answer for leaving doctors !.LOL

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FairJudge Friday, 08 September 2023 07:34 AM

Anyone can resign and go anywhere right? Only issue is if people owe money to Government or if they have a bonded service period. Otherwise all are free to go. Government is encouraging all to go overseas to Korea, Middle East and bring dollars. It is now high time for admitting right students to right courses in universities and cut down on Arts subjects that are only likely to add to the unemployment queue.

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Ama Friday, 08 September 2023 07:49 AM

Please implement a system to make Dr to deposit a specinc sum of money BEFORE they start their MBBS. They study enjoying free eduction as others. Recently it was revealed that an amount equivalent to 4 million is spent for each of them.

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Nimal Friday, 08 September 2023 07:58 AM

This action or more appropriately, inaction epitomizes the stupidity of the administrators of the state sector. How does this so-called blacklisting help the patients?

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Sokrates Friday, 08 September 2023 08:06 AM

This is the wrong approach and not compatible with human rights. Nobody can be forced to practice a profession in a state institution. The right way would be to pass a law requiring doctors who have studied at the expense of the state to work in a government hospital for a certain number of years. If they don't want to, they have to pay the study costs.

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sam Friday, 08 September 2023 08:09 AM

Load of crap. What action can the ministry take? catch their tails.

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sobers Friday, 08 September 2023 08:11 AM

Missing in Action or Desserter?

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Terrence K Friday, 08 September 2023 08:34 AM

The Public will blacklist this govt. at the next election for the chaos created by their actions in the exodus of not only Doctors and Specialists also several professionals from different fields leaving this country. The govt. sowed the wind and now they are reaping the whirlwind. The govt. should bear in mind that they can fool people some of the time and some people all the time but you cannot fool all the people all the time.

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Keheliya the child killer Friday, 08 September 2023 08:50 AM

I have a better idea, why not get tough on the health minister for importing substandard drugs for a commission?

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RS Friday, 08 September 2023 08:53 AM

Get to the root cause. Steps to take legal action will not help arrest situation at all. This is the case for all those leaving the country not only doctors but all other professionals.

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Jayantha Friday, 08 September 2023 08:56 AM

This is a great opportunity for the government to allow private medical faculties. Also make that exam that has to be done by overseas medical graduates bit simple. Then we will have a surplus of doctors and this migration issue want be a thing to evwn consider. Look at sectors like accouting, information technology and bm. We never have such problems thanks to pvt sector. If any one oppose pvt medical faculties at this moment, send them to life time in prison and also ban parties and unions who make strikes.

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joshua Friday, 08 September 2023 08:57 AM

First get rid of that useless Health Minister who is only interested in commission before taking action on doctors. I bet you cannot do anything against the doctors, Try and see. First you backlist the morons in that parliament.

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Prevention is better than cure Friday, 08 September 2023 08:59 AM

Actually it is the citizens who pay taxes to pay for doctors education who should become tough now. Next Aragalaya might end up where patients will throw rotten Indian eggs (as our own will be extinct) at the houses of fleeing doctors or even at their parents houses. This is a natural behaviour when survival instinct takes over.

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DD Friday, 08 September 2023 09:03 AM

This is not practical. Consider a hypothetical scenario: if a doctor in EMBILIPITIYA fell sick for an extended period, should they be expected to come to work while unwell? Doctors are human beings and can also get sick. What would authorities do in such a situation? Having just one doctor for the entire EMBILIPITIYA hospital, unable to work due to COVID or similar reasons for a long time, is a challenging situation. Taking strict action against doctors is a delicate balance. We must also consider doctors' freedom in our free country; authorities should not interfere with their rights. A way forward could involve establishing more medical colleges after A/L exams to produce more doctors. If there's a demand for doctors abroad, we can produce more and earn foreign exchange. Internally, we can create more jobs by expanding our universities and facilities

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bushel Friday, 08 September 2023 09:05 AM

Is that going to solve the problem? First take stern action against the politicians and government rogues who brought the country to this situation

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Cugan Friday, 08 September 2023 09:26 AM

Even our head of state flee the country and email once came back he enjoys all the perks as ex prez but even though he is not entailed he even not complete 2yr . Good luck to them they may concern for their children future

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Slapthecoward Friday, 08 September 2023 09:33 AM

So keeping doctors as prisoners are you dear DDHS? Are you out of your senses? Violation of human rights is a serious issue.. Don't think the victims will be silent.

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Siva Friday, 08 September 2023 09:37 AM

This will make more doctors to resign from government service and then migrate. Health ministry should think of keep at least the doctors who are here now

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Joseph Mendis Friday, 08 September 2023 10:35 AM

Stop their pension.

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Observer Friday, 08 September 2023 10:40 AM

There are so many SriLankan anaesthetist recently retired in the UK NHS. Why not enroll them as locums for a limited period to tide over the situation. They have their basic MB.,BS from SL. However they are British citizens.

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A Ratnayake Friday, 08 September 2023 10:45 AM

Finger-wagging and threatening are unlikely to work. More doctors might leave sooner and the doctors who are already in the UK and Australia completing their overseas component of specialist training might not even return to the country. What options does the Sri Lankan government have? Are they going to sue doctors who have already left the country? Are they going to confiscate their property? Are they going to sue their parents? Is the government planning to sue engineers and other professionals who leave the country without giving notice? Targeting doctors might be a human rights violation.

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Karalasingam Sivalingam Friday, 08 September 2023 10:56 AM

Amend the medical ordinance to make it compulsory for doctors to serve for 20 years, and in cases of going for good, seeking overseas employment, they should reimburse 1/4 of the money spent on them for medical college expenses spent on him/her to graduate as a doctor, they should sign an agreement of their consent for same when admitted to medical college.

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Reformist Friday, 08 September 2023 11:11 AM

This has been going on for a long time. SLankan universities are producing wrong graduates. It is a paradox. On one hand, we have hundreds of thousands of unemployed graduates (unemployable) demanding government jobs. On the other hand, we don't have enough right graduates. SL should revamp the whole university course system and also allow private sector universities (with appropriate quality standards) to teach useful and required courses/degrees. It should start from schools. Do not teach students courses that are going to be useless and concentrate on courses that are needed and that have better job prospects. Labour market now is global. Who is listening?

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dp Friday, 08 September 2023 11:33 AM

Do people realize doctors also pay taxes? Most of these doctors would have payed more taxes than the money spent on their university studies. Create a friendly environment where everyone want to stay in the country.

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sarath gooneratne Friday, 08 September 2023 11:41 AM

This getting tough on doctors leaving the country is plain nonsense. In that all citizens in a government job must suffer the same fate. Why only doctors. This is discrimination. Aren't the money spent on other degree holders not government money ? Then why is the government encouraging people with other disciplines to go abroad to send foreign exchange ? You cant have one rule for one person and another for doctors only. If the country is doing well people will not leave the country. This is happening due to poor governance. The government need to sort that out first.

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Koliya Rambrookwella Friday, 08 September 2023 11:55 AM

If I want to be in power, the best doctors should go out. Then only I can continue playing out on drugs and medical equipment purchased from India.

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Paan Aiya Pedris Friday, 08 September 2023 11:56 AM

No worries, let all the doctor's get out. Minister Kehliya Rambukwella will bring doctors from India on Commission basis.

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Spotted News By Journalist Bandula Friday, 08 September 2023 12:26 PM

Keyliya Rambukwella once told recently on a meeting at the Health Department that our doctors are rogues and they should vacate if they want to. Now the doctors are leaving, no one can stop.

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Kamal Friday, 08 September 2023 12:37 PM

We are not Learning from mistakes. So sad. We are not result oriented, and our funding system is a crap. They way the ministry monitor doctors work is checking the diary and send audits to see they are present or not. They need to change this. They should look at the outcome measures, numbers of admissions, death, adverse events, numbers of transfers and patient satisfaction. There should be incentives as per work load. And also incentives for specialities which are in demand. And ministry administrators should avoid specialist coming and waiting for appointments from even far away places. It’s not easy to become a surgeons or other fields, after MBBS extensive training and hard work are done almost 11 to 12 years after advanced level. And if you are only getting 250000 to 300000 rupees after tax . These same people can chose other jobs. In the same time, there are attitude issues in some doctors. So the medical administrators along with GMOA should advocate for system change.

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An escaped SL. Friday, 08 September 2023 12:46 PM

@karalasingham Sivalingam - are you aware a doctors income in a western country? He or she can pay the educational expenses in SL, within months of obtaining a job. The best way is compulsory service for ten years.That means no passport to travel abroad. Previously it was six years of compulsory service during 1960 - 1970. It was abolished to allow a VIP’s relative to leave the country. As a result many benefitted and left SL.

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Namal Rajakaruna Friday, 08 September 2023 01:59 PM

By the same token can we ask our MP's who are elected by OUR votes at great cost not to cross over to the other side for better prospects? We may not feel it but elections cost millions and we tax payers pay for them through indirect taxes and corruption. It costs 4 Million to train a Doctor.. Care to estimate how much it costs to elect one MP?

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Gamini Friday, 08 September 2023 02:54 PM

Let these locally qualified doctors run away to any western country they want. Most of them will not be employable as doctors and would be driving a taxi or doing a security job and also paying 30% of their income as tax, which they are not used to

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Tissa Fernando Friday, 08 September 2023 02:58 PM

The fault is with GMOA and JVP who opposed private medical schools for enabling students with money to become doctors.

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Ex doctor Friday, 08 September 2023 03:20 PM

Its funny these doctors will not allow private universities. But they will get the free education and then leave to another country for better salary

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Nuwan Friday, 08 September 2023 03:27 PM

Solution is very simple. This is done by companies sponsoring your education all over the world. That is called a return of service agreement.

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Thick skin of Hippo. But who is backing him? Friday, 08 September 2023 03:39 PM

A single person can take a horse to the water, but even ten persons cannot make it to drink water. While everyone in blasting doctors, did any one saw that the reason for the chaos is the minister? He is not only ignorant of a solution, but does not even admit that he has a big problem. Very cool!

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Gankandure Nilanthika Friday, 08 September 2023 03:42 PM

Politicians move the other way? US to SL! Swiss to SL? UK to SL? SL must be more tastier than other countries for uneducated, uncivilised, unethical, thieves as they can see a future in SL! However, educated people move the opposite way as they cannot see any future!

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Jokers Friday, 08 September 2023 03:44 PM

The Ministry has not thought of getting tough on the alleged Corruption of the Minister and Officials ?

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Em Friday, 08 September 2023 06:27 PM

Leaving the country is their personal will but should take a guarantee on free uni education and govt. funded internship for experience for a certain time frame till their service is recovered. Once covered they can do whatever they want or if they leave before that they should commit a financial compensation

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