Medical staff in Batticaloa hospital protest slaying of Sinhala doctor

[TamilNet, Monday, 17 November 2008, 08:35 GMT]
Sri Lankan Police was making arrangements to provide security to the Sinhala doctors at the Batticaloa hospital as medical staff of the hospital took to the streets Monday morning protesting against the killing of a doctor, a Sinhalese, at Naavatkudaa in Vavu'natheevu. Initial reports said 65 Sinhala doctors, including trainees at the Teaching hospital and those who were deployed in RDHS hospitals in recently resettled areas, would be provided security. Meanwhile, all the Sinhala medical staff working in recently resettled remote areas of Batticaloa district, were moving to Batticaloa Teaching hospital until their safety is secured, medical authorities said.



Medical staff at the Batticaloa Teaching hospital went on a protest march from the hospital to the clock tower, condemning the killing of Doctor Palitha Pathmakumara at Naavatkaadu hospital quarters Sunday night. There are 43 Sinhala doctors employed in the Teaching hospital of Batticaloa.

Almost all services of the hospital, except the Intensive Care Unit, did not function from 10:00 a.m. till 12:30, as the staff went on the protest, sources at the hospital said.

Police was deployed in all the roads of the city as the protest march reached the clock tower Monday noon.

A Tamil civilian was shot dead by the Sri Lankan Special Task Force (STF) following the killing of the doctor.

Three months ago, a Sinhala university student of the Eastern University of Sri Lanka, (EUSL) located in Batticaloa, was shot and killed by unknown gunmen. All Sinhala students of the EUSL were evacuated and later transferred from Universities in the Northern and Eastern provinces by the Sri Lankan Government.





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