Padeniya files: GMOA ready for showdown

The Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA) yesterday protested the victimization of its President Dr. Anuruddha Padeniya for allegedly leading the campaign against the Malabe Private Medical College, and warned it would launch countrywide trade union action from Tuesday unless his personal file was returned to the Lady Ridgeway Hospital (LRH) Director by noon on Monday.  

This comes in the wake of a statement from Dr. Padeniya being recorded by the Bribery and Corruption Commission on Tuesday over his two years of leave obtained for his postgraduate training at the Oxford University in Britain.

Dr. Padeniya told Daily Mirror that his personal file with all personal and official documents went missing and he did not know where it was. He expressed surprise and disappointment as to how it ended up at the Bribery commission leading to an inquiry against him.

After a special executive committee meeting last afternoon, the GMOA decided to write to Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena demanding that he conducts an investigation as to how and why Bribery and Corruption Commission got access to his personal file.

The letter states that the GMOA had learnt that Dr. Padeniya’s personal file had been taken out of his present working station at the Lady Ridgeway hospital after citing issues related to his leave.

Leave is an administrative issue and the GMOA General Committee which met yesterday decided to resort to trade union action from Tuesday unless the personal file was sent back to lady Ridgeway Hospital by Monday afternoon.

We request you to grant us an appointment to discuss this critical issue, the letter said.

Dr. Padeniya said the Bribery and Corruption Commission had nothing to do with his leave and if there was any irregularity it was up to the health ministry to conduct an internal inquiry and take appropriate action if he had done anything wrong.

“I was granted leave from 2008 to 2010 by the Health Ministry on the guidelines of the Health Service Minutes for Foreign Training to follow my post graduate degree on Pediatrics. I left Sri Lanka in February 2009 and returned in July 2010 even without remaining in Britain and using my extra months of leave. I was duly trained for a sub-specialist for 18 months as an obligatory requirement and returned after that,’ he added.

Dr. Padeniya said he considered the recording of a statement by the bribery commission as a move to harass  him as there was no complainant or a petition against him as far as he knew. (By Sandun A. Jayasekera)

GMOA threatens strike if Dr. Padeniya’s file not returned

September 29, 2011, 9:12 pm

by Dasun Edirisinghe

The Government Medical Officers’ Association yesterday threatened to launch an island wide strike from Tuesday (04) if the authorities fail to return its President Dr. Anuruddha Padeniya’s personal file by 12.00 noon on Monday (03).

GMOA Assistant Secretary Dr. Sankalpa Marasinghe told The Island that the decision had been taken when their general committee met on Thursday to decide the future course of action.

"We resorted to severe trade union action earlier, but no one harassed us," he said adding but this time their members were being harassed and intimidated when protesting against the Malabe Private Medical College (PMC).

The Bribery Commission had removed GMOA President Dr. Anuruddha Padeniya’s personal file from the Lady Ridgeway Children’s Hospital, Borella on Monday (26) claiming that they wanted to check on some leave he had taken to do his higher studies overseas.

If a medical officer does wrong, it should be inquired into by the Health Ministry’s separate division, not by the Bribery Commission, Dr. Marasinghe said.

He said that this is a very cheap way to handle an inquiry against a government officer.

"Not only Dr. Padeniya, most of our members received threats after we protested against the PMC, but we will not give up our effort to stop it," Dr. Marasinghe said.

Issuing an extraordinary gazette notification numbered 1721 – 19 of Aug. 30, 2011, Higher Education Minister S. B. Dissanayake legalized the Malabe PMC and University Grants Commission (UGC) awarded the MBBS degree awarding status to it.

The GMOA officially launched their protest against the PMC a month ago by threatening a countrywide strike, but it was postponed due to the Ministry’s assurance that a committee woild be appointed to investigate the standards of the PMC.

 

Non academics give Govt. four weeks to solve salary issue

September 29, 2011, 9:13 pm

by Dasun Edirisinghe

University non-academics, including executive officers, who met the officials of the National Salaries and Cadre Commission (NSCC) yesterday, said they would give the government four weeks to resolve their salary problems or they will resort to trade union action immediately.

President of the Inter University Trade Union Federation (IUTUF) R. M. Chandrapala told The Island that they were not happy with the discussion at the NSCC on Thursday morning. Officials from the University Grants Commission (UGC) and Higher Education Ministry also attended the discussion with the IUTUF and University Executive Officers Union.

"The UGC officials asked for two weeks to study and approve the NSCC proposal, prepared by us at the meeting, on rectifying anomalies in our salaries," he said.

Chandrapala said that the problem was passed from one to another from 2006, but this time they would definitely stage tough trade union action after a month from yesterday.

At the discussion, he said, the NSCC also asked for two weeks time to refer the proposal, once they get it from the UGC for approval and amendments.

Therefore the IUTUF gave the government four weeks to resolve the issue, Chandrapala said.

He said that the NSCC had however promised to meet their grievances before the budget.