GMOA – the ball is now passed on to you – so please rise up to the occasion!

The absolutely DISGRACEFUL behavior on the part of the GMOA(government medical officers association) in interfering in every aspect of medical care, and training MUST STOP now.

As we speak, the Allied Health Sciences students and the IUSF are demonstrating right outside at Temple Trees to obtain some redress. They should be tearing down your temple not that Temple of our leaders!!!

Your attitude in this and many other issues, like the Nurses strike over the prevention of training in Midwifery lay firmly at your doorstep.

You can change this for the betterment of your patients by getting down from your high horse, and realizing what will benefit the patients in the long run.

This country is wasting poor people’s money in training doctors and giving them a good education at the state’s expense, and is one of the handful of countries in the WORLD who give a free education to Medical Students. This education worth around Rs10M now, comes with responsibilities and duties to the people who pay for it. I can only state that the majority of Doctors who come through this system DO NOT fulfill them and many are still part of the GMOA, but there are many who are NOT in the GMOA who have completely shirked their obligation.

The GMOA needs a shock treatment, from the public who they serve. It is only then that they will take into account these objections against their behavior. They have the power to fight the weak bureaucrats in the Health Ministry who are engaged in frauds of one sort or another to further their own nest and have a live and let live attitude that only results in the patient’s rights being trampled upon.

We must go back to basics to realize what the health service is for? It is to serve the General Public who seek their help, pure and simple. These personal agendas that have taken precedence MUST stop now. Let us all join hands to fight the corrupt system that puts patient lives and rights at risk, and show our hypocritical doctors, what the “Hippocratic Oath” is all about.

I have attacked one institution here, and hope they will be able to look inwards and improve their behavior to better serve the community. It is lawyers who I wish to tackle next as another source of public outrage, as they have taken full advantage of the lawless situation to feather their nests. They instead of adding to the productivity of Sri Lanka have stifled progress by their selfish practices.