News
Health workers continue crippling action despite court order
View(s):Despite a court injunction on Friday on six health sector trade unions suspending a strike called by the Joint Council of Professions Supplementary to Medicine (JCPSM) on Tuesday, most workers stayed away from hospitals further inconveniencing patients.
By last evening efforts by respective hospital authorities to inform the strikers that the Colombo District Court had issued an injunction effective till September 12, had failed, the Sunday Times learns.
National Hospital Director Dr. Anil Jasinghe said that the court order had been displayed at the entrance of the hospital to get the striking employees to return.
Kalubowilla Hospital director Dr. Asela Gunawardena said the workers who hadn’t returned to work were going against the law. He said patients are being directed to Osusala to get drugs and O.P.D patients were being given medicines for only three days, while clinic patients who are usually given a month’s supply were being given a week’s supply due to the lack of medicines in Osusala.Kandy Hospital Director Dr R.M.S.K Rathnayake said that the strikers appeared to have ignored the court injunction, while Anuradhapura Hospital Director Dr. W.Athapattu said the workers were expected last night.
Ragama Hosipitle Director Dr. U.M.M Samaranayake said he had to open up the medicine storage rooms in the hospital yesterday in order to maintain the pharmaceutical supplies as the stocks had dwindled to a critically low level.
A senior official at Jaffna Hospital said they too were facing a shortage of medicines due to the absence of supplementary health workers.
Meanwhile most of the leading trade unionists who organised the strike had switched their phones off and were not contactable.
Saman Jayasekara, Secretary of the Joint Council of Professions Supplementary to Medicine that spearheaded the campaign, declined to comment on the situation claiming that he was at a meeting
(Please see related story on Page 16)