Due to an Island Wide token strike launched by the Professionals Supplementary to Medicine(PSM) attached to Government Hospitals today demanding to fulfill five of their service demands,had paralyzed the issuing of medicines through the out door patient departments,Laboratory Tests,Radiography Tests and Physio Therapy and Occupational Therapies in the Hospitals.
Only emergency services are maintaining during the 24 hour strike which scheduled to end 8 a.m tomorrow morning according to the PSM Professionals.
However the Major Hospitals including the National Hospital in Colombo issued special tokens to the Patients who came to get the medicine from OPD pharmacies of hospitals which enable them to purchase drugs free of charge through the State Owned Pharmacies.Same Hospitals have send patients who need emergency Lab Tests,Radiography Tests to the Private Hospitals for these tests according to the officials.
The Professionals Supplementary To Medicine(PSM) compromising Government Pharmacists,Medical Laboratory Technicians(MLT),Radiographers,Physiotherapists and occupational Therapists launched the token strike this morning at 8 a.m demanding to fulfill five demands including implementation of the delayed promotions of the special grade and first grade of their professionals .If the Health Ministry has not taken steps to fulfill their demands immediately the PSM has decided to launch an Island wide continuous strike from 23rd of February till their demands are fulfilled the secretary of the Association of Professionals Supplementary To Medicine Harendra Kuruppu has said.