The Hon. (Dr.) Ramanathan Archchuna

¶ 01 Thank you, Sir.

¶ 02 After a week on call, they finally get to go home. Some even end up divorcing. Children cannot even recognize who their parents are. That is how hard PG trainees work. Their current hope is not to serve our country, but somehow to go abroad. I too did Medical Administration during my PG training, planning to go to Australia in 2029. I did not do PG training to serve this country.

¶ 03 What are the current interns and those about to pass out doing before they even finish? They are preparing for PLAB or AMC or some other exam—just to get out. The Hon. Deputy Minister Hansaka Wijemuni is here. My personal proposal is that we create an intermediate cadre. Generally, after about ten years of solid work, a doctor can do 20–30 surgeries a day—sometimes better and more neatly than a consultant. But even then, that doctor remains in the SL-2 grade. The salary is only a little higher than a preliminary grade MO. Therefore, I propose we create a senior intermediate cadre. If we establish such an intermediate cadre, they will want to work here and will not leave the country. That is the first point.

¶ 04 My second proposal is that we somehow keep PG trainees in this country. If we create a suitable mechanism whereby a normal MO can study as a PG trainee while remaining in service, they will willingly learn and stay.

¶ 05 Many doctors have already left the country; then we will not have enough manpower here. Generally, no one wants to do PG training because there is no OT, and only a basic salary. Your Government has done a very good thing by increasing the basic salary from Rs. 54,000 to Rs. 94,000. I am grateful for that. But the biggest issue is that you have not said a single word about dividing OT by 120 instead of 80. That is the promise they were expecting. Being a doctor is a profession. People do not pay us when we walk on the road, but they step aside when a doctor comes. We expect society to accept the 15–16 years of hard study we did. You have let them down. Without telling them, you have arranged to divide their OT by 120 instead of 80. Therefore, I say this: the GMOA is doing completely the wrong thing—that is not my concern, and I do not support them. But you should have called them in, discussed, and at least explained to two or three of them that: “This Government cannot divide by 80 now, but next year, through our Budget, we will give you OT divided by 80, not 120.” I hope our President will create that expectation at the end of the Budget. I will never extend a hand to you to form a Government from the Opposition; I am independent now. I came to you with much affection. But I was arrested like a dog, with my phone tracked, because of a false story that the President was coming to Jaffna and I put up a signal light. What was my crime? Installing LED bulbs. You made a big mistake. Do not make such mistakes. Do not show personal anger. We all talk in the canteen—has anyone come and scolded me there? No. Why are we turning away like this? Correct yourselves. You are not using the resources we have. You know there are about 16 doctors here. You do not need our brains, but someone else will use them—that is what happens. Thank you very much for giving me this opportunity.