Patients inconvenienced as health professionals strike

• Trade union action unfolded across all government hospitals, drawing attention to the concerns of supplementary medical professionals 

By Sheain Fernandopulle   

Patients at the government hospitals were highly inconvenienced due to the 24-hour token strike action launched by professionals from the Supplementary Medical Services sector.  
The strike was initiated yesterday at 8:00 a.m., in protest of the government’s refusal to grant Disturbance, Availability, and Transport (DAT) allowance of Rs. 35,000 to the professionals.  
While the strike ended earlier today, patients within hospitals expressed their distress, citing inconveniences resulting from the disruption in healthcare services.  

The trade union action unfolded across all government hospitals, drawing attention to the concerns of supplementary medical professionals who feel overlooked in the government’s recent decision-making.   

Ravi Kumudesh, President of the Joint Council for Professions of Supplementary Medicine, voiced strong opposition to the Cabinet’s choice to abstain from increasing the DAT allowance for health professionals.

  
This upheaval comes in the wake of the Cabinet’s approval, on Monday (Jan. 08), of President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s proposal to double the DAT allowance for government doctors, increasing it from Rs. 35,000 to Rs. 70,000.   

The decision has sparked discontent among supplementary medical professionals, leading to the recent token strike as they demand fair treatment and recognition.