The Hon. (Dr.) Ramanathan Archchuna

¶ 01 I wish a very good morning to the Hon. Speaker and all Members. I will speak in Tamil as the people in the North are listening. I raise a pressing public issue.

¶ 02 The Jaffna Teaching Hospital serves all people from Anuradhapura to the North, treating around 1,500 patients daily. Three years ago, 170 youths were engaged without contracts, promised a three-month certificate, effectively as unpaid labour, with hopes of permanent jobs. They were told they would be paid Rs. 10,000 per month, but received at most five such payments in total—this violates labour laws. This falls under the Health Ministry. Expecting justice, they voted for the NPP. Despite assurances, the Government forgot them. Even after meeting the Hon. Minister representing the Northern Province, promises were made.

¶ 03 Subsequently, all 170 volunteer health assistants protested outside the Presidential Secretariat. The Hon. Minister of Health told them to return to work and promised to protect their jobs. However, when they returned, they were rudely expelled by the hospital’s administrator, Dr. Thangamuthu Sathyamoorthy. When the security guards blocked them, they called me asking for help. I am an MP elected from Jaffna, having campaigned against corruption and abuses in the Northern and Eastern health sectors.

¶ 04 At this stage, the Hon. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake entered the Chamber.

¶ 05 Good morning to the Hon. President!

¶ 06 Although he is a doctor and I too am a doctor with eight years’ service there, when I went to meet him, he told me to leave and called security to eject me. I informed the police that I am a Member of Parliament, yet I was treated disrespectfully, violating my parliamentary privileges, and now cases have been filed against me—this is the 19th case for speaking for justice for the Tamil people in the North and East and exposing corruption of successive governments. I will continue to speak up. I table letters sent to me by the volunteer health assistants.