• Excessive taxes, uncertainty of the country had led to the migration of doctors

By Ajith Siriwardana   

Sri Lanka may have to bring down specialist doctors from overseas in the next couple of years if the specialist doctors continue to leave the country, a medical specialist said yesterday. 

 Association of Medical Specialists (AMS) media spokesman Ashoka Gunaratne told reporters that Sri Lanka was left with only two options to face the shortage of specialist doctors either to hire foreign doctors overseas or reduce the size of the cadre in a given hospital.   

“We will have to reduce the number of specialist doctors assigned to a hospital. For instance, in a place where three doctors were assigned, it will have to be reduced to two and in that manner, we will have to contract the required cadre of specialist doctors. The other option available is to bring down specialist doctors from overseas. We never know the stance of the government regarding this and whether foreign doctors will come here to work for a salary offered here. Most of the foreign countries do the same. They hire specialists from other countries,” he said.   

Dr. Gunaratne said doctors and specialists have no barriers to leave government service after a certain period of time and added that due to the shortage of specialists in Sri Lanka, the health ministry refuses to accept resignations, which has led them to vacate the posts.   

He said excessive taxes, uncertainty of the country had led to the migration of doctors. 

• We will have to reduce the number of specialist doctors assigned to a hospital”