by Dilanthi Jayamanne
The doctors of the Kiriella District Hospital threatened to strike if the Sabaragamuwa Provincial Council (SPC) did not "pull out," on the issue between the nurses of the Hospital and the District Medical Officer (DMO). Action Committee Chairman of the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) Ratnapura District, Dr. Saman Abeywardana said yesterday that there had been a clash between the DMO of the hospital and the nurses’ branch union over the DMO’s attitude towards them.

According to him The Public Services United Nurses’ Union (PSUNU) demanded that the SPC remove the DMO from the hospital within 48 hours. "The SPC is going the wrong way. They have nothing to do with the hospital’s DMO because she comes directly under the Health Ministry," Abeywardana pointed out.

The doctors feel that there should be a formal inquiry by the Ministry and not the Provincial Council (PC).

The Union leader of the PSUNU is alleged to have asked the PC to carry out an inquiry while the SPC appointed a commission which included the Provincial Director Health Services (PDHS) and two administrative officers.

When contacted the DMO of the Kiriella Hospital, Dr. Himali Atapattu said she had attempted to correct the administration of the hospital. "Some nurses of the hospital have been working here for over 20/25 years and they believe that they have the right to rule the place. They give patients wrong injections and one patient died after the injection was administered."

She stressed that there had to be a form of discipline within the hospital. "When I attempted to put things right the nurses alleged that I was rude and nasty to them and claimed that they could not work with me," Atapattu said.

The nurses have been working with me for the past 3 1/2 years and we have had no trouble. She alleged that all trouble had been triggered off after the arrival of a new doctor from Ampara. He is also a member of the GMOA, she alleged. According to her the doctor had claimed that he was the new DMO of the hospital.

The DPDHS too has carried out an inquiry into the matter but the nurses have failed to give evidence at the inquiry, hospital sources pointed out.

The hospital has been crippled for over 10 days after the nurses commenced their strike on September 7 hospital sources said.

The GMOA warned the SPC authorities that it would move to strike if they did not leave the DMO alone.

The PSUNU leader was not available for comment.

Meanwhile Abeywardana added that extra duty payments and overtime allowance for doctors which had been granted to all other provinces had not been granted to the Sabaragamuwa Province. "There have been three circulars relating to this. But whenever we ask the Provincial Director his answer is that there was no money to pay the doctors. He said that the GMOA had written a letter to the Regional Director of Health Services Ratnapura regarding the matter on Thursday.

"We have given the SPC time till Tuesday failing which we shall commence our strike on September 28," the GMOA sources warned.

Kiriella hospital doctors threaten to strike