Supplementary medical professionals threaten to return to strikeBy Dinitha RathnayakeThose employed in professions supplementary to medicine claimed that the Ministry of Health does not yet have a proper plan for the submission of the relevant Cabinet Memorandums which the Health Minister promised them during their trade union action recently. Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi agreed to provide the same relief to those employed in the professions supplementary to medicine (PSMs) which was earlier provided for nurses. A letter issued under the signature of the Director General of Health Services (DGHS) Dr. Asela Gunawardena on 6 July mentioned that the Health Minister had agreed to submit the relevant Cabinet paper containing the Union’s demands to the next Cabinet of Ministers meeting today (12). We apologise for the inconvenience.”PSMs have called off their strike action following talks with the Health Minister on 6 July stating: “We temporarily suspended our strike action until 12 July. However, we would launch our strike if the Health Minister is unable to bring our demands to the Cabinet.”These trade unions represented laboratory technicians, radiologists, and pharmacists as well as public health inspectors.

Source: The Nation July 11, 2021 18:33 UTC