Health Ministry officials ignoring nurses' demands

By Amila Jayasinghe

The Government Nursing Officers' Association (GNOA) yesterday accused officials in the health sector of ignoring the orders given by Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena, to look into the grievances of the nurses.

Addressing a media briefing, President of the GNOA, Saman Rathnapriya, said they have been resorting to strike action to secure five demands.

He said there are over 5,000 vacancies in the nursing field, and accused the health officials of failing to recruit graduates who have been wasting time at home for the past two had a half years. Health officials are trying to 'push them' to the waiting list for jobs, he charged.

Commenting on the grading of nurses, he said they should be given first upgrade after five years and the second in 14 years. "There is an exam for this and there are nurses who have passed this exam but have not been given an upgrade yet," he said.

Rathnapriya also pointed out that the Rs. 15, 620 a nurse receives as a salary is not a professional salary and impressed upon the need to implement a five-day working plan.

He said when doctors of the Government Medical Officers' Association (GMOA) make demands, health officials grant them immediately. "But it is not so in the case of nurses, even though they were the first to demand that salary and other issues be resolved." Rathnapriya also added that the allowance a nurse gets is Rs 65, while the doctors get Rs 325.

He accused the health officials of not taking into consideration the nurses requirements and not acting on the instructions of the Health Minister.

He said the health sector is a field that should work as a team, only then can they provide a better service to the country.

He also said it is the nurse who works with the patient 24 hours a day. They have not been given any telephone allowance either.

Rathnapriya added that the gazette that was issued by the Health Ministry giving power to the Provincial Health Secretaries to recruit nurses should be cancelled and given back to the Central Government. According to this gazette, a nurse would not be transferred for ten years, which should definitely be cancelled, he said.

He said the Health Ministry Secretary and the Treasury should be held responsible for this and added they do not want letters promising a solution but the issuing of a circular that their demands will be granted.

Rathnapriya said they have no other alternative than to launch another 24-hour islandwide trade union action on 19 December and apologized for the inconvenience that would be caused to people. He said that they would nevertheless attend to the patients' requirements.

http://www.ceylontoday.lk/51-19484-news-detail-health-ministry-officials-ignoring-nurses-demands.html