Trincomalee, Batticaloa Health workers protest attacks on health professionals

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 August 2006, 00:23 GMT]
Employees of the North East Provincial Health Ministry and Provincial Department of Health, and Batticaloa Health Service workers held protest demonstrations Friday condemning the attack on hospital ambulance that resulted in killing five staff including the medical officer in Nedunkerni in Vavuniya district, and the attack on two ambulances of the Muthur hospital last week in Trincomalee district killing three persons, civil society sources in the eastern districts said.

The Trincomalee protest was held for two hours in front of the provincial health ministry office, sources said.

Employees carried placards requesting the Sri Lanka government to take steps to stop attacking ambulances and health workers. They further demanded that lives of health workers should be safeguarded.

Kalawanchchikudi Hospital doctors and staff and Batticaloa District Health Service staff, observed a one hour work stoppage from 10 to 11a.m., hospital administrators said.

The demonstrators, including the district’s Deputy district health administrative officer, the District medical officer, doctors, nurses, medical technicians and office staff lined outside their hospital and offices, calling for an end to attacking the doctors and carried placards with slogans "Why attack the medical profession," " Do not destroy the health care system," and "Why threaten the medical service," Batticaloa sources said.