5000 Doctors are ready to leave the country ; states GMOA

The Government Medical Officers’ Association is emphasizing that there is a risk of 5,000 doctors qualified to work in foreign countries leaving the country.

“The seriousness of this situation is that 5,000 doctors who have completed their medical education stay in the country with the intention of leaving for another country when they get an opportunity. 5,000 represents one-fourth of the doctors in the country. This issue will only become more serious in the future. The health ministry should take steps to understand the main reasons for this and implement an action plan as soon as possible.”

The media spokesman for GMOA, Mr. Chamil Wijesinghe also mentioned that more than 250 of the doctors who received post-internship appointments have decided to leave the system.