Volunteer staff of Kalmunai Base Hospital stage protest

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 17 November 2009, 09:30 GMT]
The protest demonstration launched by the volunteer health staff demanding permanent appointment continued for the second day Sunday in front of the outpatients division of Kalmunai Base Hospital in Ampaa’rai district, sources in Kalmunai said. Though 37 persons had been working as health volunteers for the past 5 years, it has been announced that 12 persons are to be appointed permanently as health staff on Tuesday on the recommendation of Minister Athavulla and this protest is launched in order to prevent them from assuming duties, the organizers of the protest said.

The resolutions made during the demonstration Sunday has been faxed in the form of an appeal to the Health Minister, they said.

Sri Lanka President’s Ampaa’rai district advisor K. Iniyaparathi and Minister Vinayagamoorthy too were informed of the demonstration and the resolutions.

“It is not our intention to oppose the appointment of the 12 persons. But 12 of the volunteer health staff will be loosing their job. We were appointed as volunteers for the vacancies that existed before. It is not fair to appoint persons who had not even worked as volunteers for a day and we have no objection to their appointment provided we are made permanent,” the demonstrators said.

Hospital activities continue as usual while Special Task Force (STF) commandos and police are deployed at the location.

Hospital administration did not have any comment on the issue.

The protestors said that their demonstration will continue if they are not appointed permanently in their present jobs.