Hospital staff clash with Deputy Director

Tension escalated outside the National Hospital of Sri Lanka (NHSL) in Colombo this evening (16) as the hospital's minor staff initiated a demonstration against Deputy Director Dr. Rukshan Bellana. The situation prompted the deployment of a police anti-riot squad to bolster security on the hospital premises.

Police said Dr. Bellana had been forcibly confined within his office by the minor staff earlier in the day. This incident follows a recent island-wide strike organized by a collective of 72 health sector trade unions over disparities in allowances, a move criticized by Dr. Bellana.

However, on Wednesday (14), the health trade unions decided to suspend their strike after Health Minister Dr. Ramesh Pathirana agreed to engage in discussions with them. These trade unions represent various health sector professionals, including radiology and laboratory technicians, pharmacists, midwives, dental surgeons, public health inspectors, and entomology officers, who have been staging strikes over the past few months to demand an increase in allowances.

The trade union actions were sparked by Cabinet Ministers’ approval of President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s proposal to double the DAT allowance for government doctors, raising it from Rs. 35,000 to Rs. 70,000. In response to the ongoing unrest, a special gazette notification was issued on February 13, declaring the provision of healthcare an essential public service.