Specialist doctors from across the country have been summoned to the headquarters of the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) this week, for urgent discussions and decision-making in response to the proposed 2026 national budget, which has sparked widespread concern over injustices faced by medical professionals and the public health sector.
Issuing a statement, the GMOA states that the budget appears to undermine Sri Lanka’s free healthcare system, pushing it from resilience to collapse.
Doctors have already faced multiple salary cuts in both the current and previous budgets. The GMOA warns that these short-sighted decisions risk accelerating the brain drain of skilled professionals.
Specialist doctors, who shoulder high-risk, island-wide responsibilities, continue to cover multiple hospitals without special allowances or coverage incentives, often working under severe strain to maintain uninterrupted patient care.
Unlike other public service grades, these doctors do not receive transport or fuel allowances, and many spend more than half their salary on travel to serve in remote hospitals. The removal of tax relief permits and the lack of budgetary solutions for essential service needs have created a deeply unsettled environment among specialists.
The GMOA also criticized the Health Minister’s contradictory appeal for overseas-trained specialists to return to Sri Lanka, while simultaneously cutting salaries and benefits for those already serving. One returning specialist has reportedly been denied the opportunity to enroll his children in a government school, highlighting the systemic neglect of returning professionals.
If such short-sighted policies continue, the GMOA warns that Sri Lanka’s globally respected free healthcare system will face irreversible decline.
The GMOA reaffirmed its commitment to protecting free healthcare and the rights of medical professionals, and announced that a series of trade union actions will begin next Monday if the government fails to respond meaningfully.
As a precursor, all specialist doctors nationwide have been summoned to the GMOA headquarters in Colombo on Friday (14) to discuss the challenges they face and determine the future course of action, including potential service disruptions and union mobilization. (Newswire)
