Six political parties have asked the government to urgently review the uniform regulations for Health Assistants, in a letter to the Health Minister on Saturday.
The letter was written by Opposition MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam, Convenor of the Political Council of Tamil-Speaking Peoples. It was issued on behalf of the All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC), the Ceylon Workers’ Congress (CWC), the Democratic Tamil National Alliance (DTNA), Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK), the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) and the Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA).
The Council said the regulations should take cultural and religious sensitivities into account while maintaining professional standards and patient safety. It said uniform rules should accommodate legitimate cultural, religious and modesty-related preferences while upholding clinical hygiene.
It called on the government to review and amend the relevant circular and to set a clear, practical and inclusive national policy that applies to all public healthcare institutions.
The letter refers to the Health Minister’s invitation in Parliament to submit proposals. The Council asked whether the proposed committee had been formally appointed, what progress had been made, and when a revised national circular would be issued.
Background
The letter follows recommendations made by the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) on the issue. The HRCSL is a statutory body that investigates complaints of rights violations and can make recommendations to public authorities.
In the Sri Lankan public service, rules on staff dress in state institutions are generally set through circulars issued by the relevant ministry. That is why the parties have asked specifically for the existing circular to be reviewed and amended, and for one policy to cover every public healthcare institution.
The signatory parties include parties that represent Tamil and Muslim communities. Opposition parties, the Council said, are prepared to contribute proposals and support a fair solution, but responsibility for implementing the necessary policy changes rests with the government.
What it means
The Council urged the Ministry to give a prompt response and a clear timeline, in order to prevent unnecessary communal tensions over the issue. The letter does not say when a decision is expected, and the Ministry’s reply had not been reported when this article was prepared.
Any revised circular would set the dress rules for Health Assistants working in state hospitals and other public healthcare institutions, according to the parties’ request for a policy applicable to all such institutions.
