Doctors at war
16 September 2016
The conduct of the GMOA doctors hit a new low on Wednesday when some 200 of its members laid siege on Isurupaya that houses the Ministry of Education, well into the wee hours of the morning demanding elite schools for their children. In the melee one of the doctors fainted in a scene reminiscent of common agitations by unruly trade unions on the streets of Colombo, a blot on the local medical profession, in more ways than one.
This is the first time in known history that a set of doctors had deigned to lower themselves into the level of the ordinary trade union riff raff, throwing to the winds all dignity and decorum attached to their profession. At the time of writing the doctors had been evacuated from the Isurupaya premises on a court order obtained by the police.
It is clear that the GMOA has opened another flank of attack against the government, with its other agitations losing steam. First it was ECTA, purely a trade agreement with a neigbouring country, that may or may not benefit the country’s economy, but an issue completely out of the remit of the medical profession. Then there was SAITM, which on the face of it seems to have some relevance to the GMOA, but an issue that is not of recent origin but dating back to the Mahinda Rajapaksa regime. One cannot recall though the GMOA come out with all guns blazing then, as it is doing at present. Ditto for the matter of the Indian doctors serving at the Lanka hospital, which give credence to the claim by Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne that the GMOA was muzzled by Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.
True, the doctors have a grievance. They are at a disadvantage when admitting their children to top government schools, being subjected to transfers every four years and due to intervening scholarships abroad, that invariably disqualify them, based on the residency rule. But they also ought to see things from another point of view. There are quotas allocated for children of the security forces, MPs, Ministers and Administrative Service officers in government schools. The GMOA boasts of a 20,000 membership countrywide. Even conceding that not all these doctors may not have children of school going age, or married for that matter, it still would be an impossible task to accommodate such a large number of children to Royal, Ananda, Visakha, Dharmaraja, Kingswood, Mahamaya, High School Kandy Maliyadeva etc., the schools that are being insisted upon by the doctors that their children should be admitted.
It smacks of selfishness by the GMOA who always claim to have the public interest at heart in all of its agitation campaigns. Is the GMOA insisting that its children be admitted to only these schools and to hell with the others (children of the security forces, MPs etc.) It is clear that the doctors are spoiling for a fight with the government after its anti-ECTA campaign has all but foundered (The Indian ambulance service to which it vehemently opposed is operating without a hitch). It is incongruous that the GMOA has decided to stage a token strike at the main state hospitals in Kandy, Kurunegala and Matara to highlight their children’s school admission issue. What have the poor patients, who will be inconvenienced and undergo hardships by this strike action got to do with a doctor’s child’s school admission? Is the GMOA of the view that these patients are going find common cause with their members, going by the difficulties encountered today by the ordinary folk to get their children admitted to even an ordinary school?
It is time, the GMOA, which is the most powerful and influential professional body in this country, do an introspection and make a course correction. It should not be made to be seen as just another trade union downing its tools at the drop of a hat. Its agitations should be reserved for larger issues that primarily affect the patients and the community at large. This is because they owe it to the public for elevating them to their present status in society, through funding their education. The doctors should not compromise their professional integrity by dabbling in mundane matters.
The Government, on the other hand, should consider giving priority to doctor’s children in school admissions by dispensing with the residency rule, considering their importance in creating a healthy nation. Besides, doctors are engaged in a noble profession, ministering to the sick and making other sacrifices such as being ‘on call’ duty round the clock. It should also bear in mind that Sri Lanka is confronted with a dearth of professionals, particularly in the medical profession, due to the lure of greener pastures. Doctors on their part should be circumspect and avoid precipitate action, as that witnessed on Wednesday, at Isrurupaya. Continuous running battles with the government is unbecoming of an elite profession, such as doctors. Their Trade Union action should always be as a last resort after exhausting all avenues of redress to their grievances.
This is the first time in known history that a set of doctors had deigned to lower themselves into the level of the ordinary trade union riff raff, throwing to the winds all dignity and decorum attached to their profession. At the time of writing the doctors had been evacuated from the Isurupaya premises on a court order obtained by the police.
It is clear that the GMOA has opened another flank of attack against the government, with its other agitations losing steam. First it was ECTA, purely a trade agreement with a neigbouring country, that may or may not benefit the country’s economy, but an issue completely out of the remit of the medical profession. Then there was SAITM, which on the face of it seems to have some relevance to the GMOA, but an issue that is not of recent origin but dating back to the Mahinda Rajapaksa regime. One cannot recall though the GMOA come out with all guns blazing then, as it is doing at present. Ditto for the matter of the Indian doctors serving at the Lanka hospital, which give credence to the claim by Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne that the GMOA was muzzled by Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.
True, the doctors have a grievance. They are at a disadvantage when admitting their children to top government schools, being subjected to transfers every four years and due to intervening scholarships abroad, that invariably disqualify them, based on the residency rule. But they also ought to see things from another point of view. There are quotas allocated for children of the security forces, MPs, Ministers and Administrative Service officers in government schools. The GMOA boasts of a 20,000 membership countrywide. Even conceding that not all these doctors may not have children of school going age, or married for that matter, it still would be an impossible task to accommodate such a large number of children to Royal, Ananda, Visakha, Dharmaraja, Kingswood, Mahamaya, High School Kandy Maliyadeva etc., the schools that are being insisted upon by the doctors that their children should be admitted.
It smacks of selfishness by the GMOA who always claim to have the public interest at heart in all of its agitation campaigns. Is the GMOA insisting that its children be admitted to only these schools and to hell with the others (children of the security forces, MPs etc.) It is clear that the doctors are spoiling for a fight with the government after its anti-ECTA campaign has all but foundered (The Indian ambulance service to which it vehemently opposed is operating without a hitch). It is incongruous that the GMOA has decided to stage a token strike at the main state hospitals in Kandy, Kurunegala and Matara to highlight their children’s school admission issue. What have the poor patients, who will be inconvenienced and undergo hardships by this strike action got to do with a doctor’s child’s school admission? Is the GMOA of the view that these patients are going find common cause with their members, going by the difficulties encountered today by the ordinary folk to get their children admitted to even an ordinary school?
It is time, the GMOA, which is the most powerful and influential professional body in this country, do an introspection and make a course correction. It should not be made to be seen as just another trade union downing its tools at the drop of a hat. Its agitations should be reserved for larger issues that primarily affect the patients and the community at large. This is because they owe it to the public for elevating them to their present status in society, through funding their education. The doctors should not compromise their professional integrity by dabbling in mundane matters.
The Government, on the other hand, should consider giving priority to doctor’s children in school admissions by dispensing with the residency rule, considering their importance in creating a healthy nation. Besides, doctors are engaged in a noble profession, ministering to the sick and making other sacrifices such as being ‘on call’ duty round the clock. It should also bear in mind that Sri Lanka is confronted with a dearth of professionals, particularly in the medical profession, due to the lure of greener pastures. Doctors on their part should be circumspect and avoid precipitate action, as that witnessed on Wednesday, at Isrurupaya. Continuous running battles with the government is unbecoming of an elite profession, such as doctors. Their Trade Union action should always be as a last resort after exhausting all avenues of redress to their grievances.
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