The Neville Fernando Teaching Hospital operated by the South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine (SAITM) has offered free service to the distressed public in lieu of the proposed island-wide strike action by the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA).

In a statement yesterday SAITM said the Neville Fernando Teaching Hospital would open its Out Patient Department (OPD) to the general public, free of charge, on the 5th of May 2017, in view of the Island wide strike action launched by the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA).

‘The decision comes in the wake of the recent strike action by the GMOA, which crippled the Healthcare Services of the country, particularly in the OPD units of state hospitals,’ SAITM said in its statement.

It quoted Chairman Dr. Neville Fernando as saying, “The GMOA strikes are launched against SAITM, supposedly in the interest of the public’s health and wellbeing, which they claim are at risk because SAITM students do not have enough clinical exposure.”

“Regrettably their strikes are taking place at a time when the nation is facing grave health issues and the general public is in need of all healthcare professionals in the country. It’s nothing short of tragic that the GMOA is holding patients at ransom to pursue selfish personal agendas and political schemes.”

Dr. Fernando strongly condemned the GMOA’s rejection of the Government’s stand on SAITM and said “SAITM will extend its fullest support to the Government to maintain quality and standards in medical education of Sri Lanka and SAITM will continue to serve the general public of the country regardless of the various obstacles and allegations leveled at the institute by vested parties.”