Government Medical Officers Association

GMOA
Full name Government Medical Officers Association
Founded 1926
Country Sri Lanka
Website www.gmoa.lk

The Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA) is a trade union in Sri Lanka. Founded in 1926 as the Government Medical Officers’ Association (Central Province) in Kandy, it was renamed as Government Medical Officers’ Association of Ceylon in 1927 and in 1949 registered as a trade union under the leadership of Dr E. M. Wijerama.[1]

Controversies

Admission of School Children

In 2016, the GMOA came under heavily criticism for the its demands of special admission criteria for children of its members to elite government schools by passing the national government admission process of the Ministry of Education.[2]

SAITM

GMOA have been highly critical of the establishment of the South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine (SAITM) the only private medical college in the country, calling for its closure and preventing of its graduates from registering with the Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC) as medical practitioners claiming low quality of the SAITM graduates. It has called for a national front and trade union action against SAITM following a Court of Appeal decision ordering SAITM medical graduates to be register with the SLMC.[3]

Striking for duty free vehicle permits

The GMOA was highly criticized for demanding duty free vehicles by engaging in strikes when they were reviewed by government.[4]

Engaging in private practice during strikes and political ties

In May 2017 GMOA head Anuruddha Padeniya was caught by the media granting appointements at six private hospitals during the time of a strike by the GMOA and other trade unions against the SAITM and MP Ranjan Ramanayake also got an appointement with him on a time during the strike and showed the receipt in social media and in a media conference. Dr.Padeniya quickly reacted by cancelling the appointments OPD services and medical clinics of several government hospitals were crippled due to the strike however it was ultimately considered a failure as many hospitals continued normal work and over 200 Trade Unions opposed the GMOA strike and accused them of attempting to return Mahinda Rajapaksa back to power. Rajapaksa visited Padeniya after handing over nominations in 2015 general election and Padeniya appreciated Rajapaksa for contesting[5][6][7][8]

References

  1. ↑ E M Wijerama Endowment Lecture
  2. ↑ GMOA On Strike Demanding Posh Schools For Their Children, Says Minister Deflated Their Tyres
  3. ↑ GMOA presents a national front against SAITM
  4. ↑
  5. ↑ "Public To Be Penalised Due To GMOA Strike Over SAITM, But GMOA Chief Padeniya Offers Private Consultations". Colombo Telegraph. Retrieved 2017-05-05.
  6. ↑ "Trade union strikes disrupt hospital functions and train services". Hiru News. Retrieved 2017-05-05.
  7. ↑ "Ranjan gets channel appointment with Dr. Padeniya during strike". Retrieved 2017-05-05.
  8. ↑ Lanka, Gamini Gunaratna, Sri Lanka News Paper by LankaPage.com (LLC)- Latest Hot News from Sri. "Sri Lanka : GMOA strike unsuccessful as many hospitals continued to function". www.colombopage.com. Retrieved 2017-05-05.

See also

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