GMOA’s Motive to Bring back Mahinda to Power

Minister of Health Rajitha Senaratne said yesterday that the Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA) is all out to create a national crisis out of SAITM with the sole objective of bring Mahinda Rajapaksa back to power. Addressing a function in Kandy, Senaratne said the government provided a solution to the issues related to SAITM and the necessary follow-up action would be taken in line with the Court order regarding the issue.

Assumption of certain people that I and Minister Lakshman Kiriella act against public interests is baseless. We are following the Court order and are acting in accordance with it, he said. Further he said that, although the GMOA claimed that 182 trade unions supported the strike action, only a few trade unions in fact had supported them. His actions were motivated by the people’s needs and not by whims and fancies of trade unions.

During the last two weeks, the GMOA has been making a big hue and cry criticizing the Health Minister harshly condemning the manner in which he acted on the SAITM issue. The GMOA staged a countrywide strike last week demanding that the government nationalizes SAITM and gazettes minimum standards for medical education, apart from making several other demands.