“Let us rebuild this country together, without creating a situation where you keep asking and I simply keep giving.”
– President
A discussion between the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) and President Anura Kumara Dissanayake was held this morning (17) at the Presidential Secretariat, following a request made by the Association.
President Dissanayake stated that the country’s economy, which collapsed in 2022, has now been stabilised and that maintaining this stability is a primary objective of the government. He expressed his hope that the Government Medical Officers’ Association would extend its support in achieving this.
The President emphasised that a well-functioning health sector is essential for the well-being of citizens and that this is a key priority of his government.
Highlighting that the government does not intend to reduce the facilities and benefits that should rightfully be provided to professionals, including doctors, the President noted that the proposals and requests presented by the Government Medical Officers’ Association would be considered in due course. He also stressed that the country must be rebuilt collectively, without creating a dynamic where one party constantly demands and the other merely fulfils those demands.
The GMOA stated that safeguarding doctors and specialists, who form a vital human resource within the health sector, is the responsibility of the government and that the purpose of this discussion was to present their proposals and requests to the President. These proposals and requests were discussed at length with the President.
Minister of Health and Mass Media, Dr Nalinda Jayatissa; Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning, Dr Anil Jayantha Fernando; Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Hansaka Wijemuni; Secretary to the Ministry of Health and Mass Media, Dr Anil Jasinghe; and a group of officials from the Ministry of Health, together with representatives of the Government Medical Officers’ Association, also participated in the discussion.
