The All Ceylon Nurses’ Union yesterday accused Health Ministry of failing to hold an inquiry into a dispute at Ratnapura General Hospital and thereby forcing doctors to extend their protest by closing five wards, including four surgical wards.

The Union’s President S. B. Mediwatte yesterday said due to a minor matter between the doctor and the male nurse over treatment to a patient at the hospital, ward number six was closed for five days and four other surgical wards too were closed from Monday.

He said the Hospital director should be held responsible for dragging a minor matter into a serious situation. He accused the hospital’s director of taking revenge on the male nurse.

"We condemn his action to drag the matter into a battle between the doctors and nurses," he said.

However, Ratnapura Hospital Director Dr. K. Ananda Jayalal told The Island that despite a number of requests, the Health Ministry officials had failed to hold an inquiry into the matter.

He said the problem erupted when a male nurse, who is a union leader attached to the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, verbally abused a medical officer and when he instructed the nurse to work at the OPD the order was disobeyed.

Following his failure to obey the director’s order, nearly 150 medical officers attached to the Hospital lasunched a protest campaign.