In a letter to Minister of Health Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa, the PHIs’ association stated that the current fuel QR system, though introduced to manage the national fuel crisis, has left field officers without adequate support to perform their responsibilities.
The association noted that around 2,300 PHIs islandwide have not been allocated a dedicated fuel quota for official duties. As a result, officers are forced to spend hours in queues without any priority access, significantly affecting their field operations.
They cautioned that this situation could lead to delays in key public health activities, including infectious disease investigations, control measures, inspections of food outlets, and school health programmes.
The PHIs further warned that if the issue remains unresolved, there could be serious lapses in time-sensitive duties, potentially impacting public health safety.
While clarifying that this is not a trade union action at present, the association stressed that any attempt to penalize officers for service shortcomings caused by fuel shortages would compel them to take union action.
They called on the Health Ministry to urgently intervene and ensure uninterrupted fuel access for PHIs to prevent a breakdown in essential health services.
