The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) is holding a protest in front of the National Hospital in Colombo on Tuesday over doctors’ salaries, allowances and official residences.

GMOA Assistant Secretary Chamil Wijesinghe said thousands of doctors from the association’s district and provincial branches are expected to take part.

He said the protest is meant to urge the government to address doctors’ problems in the 2027 Budget, which is due to be presented to Parliament on 12 November.

Wijesinghe said the protest is not a strike and that arrangements have been made to keep patient care running at hospitals across the country. “We are not going on strike. All necessary arrangements have been made to ensure that patient care services at all hospitals continue as usual,” he said.

He said the protest would be only the first step if the government fails to deal with the issues. “We are looking towards the Budget with very positive expectations,” he said, adding that the association believes it will have real answers by the evening of 12 November, when the government’s third Budget is presented.

The Joint Health Workers’ Union has also announced protests across the country on Tuesday over several demands. Its General Secretary, Ven. Tampitiye Sugathananda Thera, said the demonstrations are meant to urge the government to address health workers’ problems through the Budget.

Background

The GMOA is the main trade union of doctors in the state health service, which runs most hospitals in Sri Lanka and treats the large majority of patients free of charge. The association has in past years used protests and token strikes to press demands on pay, allowances and working conditions.

The Budget is the government’s yearly statement of planned spending and taxes. It is where changes to public sector pay scales and allowances are normally announced, which is why unions in the health sector and elsewhere direct their demands at it.

The National Hospital in Colombo is the largest state hospital in the country and a referral centre for patients from many districts.

What it means

For patients, the GMOA says services should continue as usual on Tuesday, since the action is a protest and not a strike.

The longer-term effect depends on the Budget on 12 November. The GMOA has said the Tuesday protest is only a first step, so further action would follow only if the Budget does not address its concerns.