GMOA to Withdraw from ‘Arogya’ Programme Amid Escalating Trade Union Action

01-Mar-2026

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More than 30 trade unions, including the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA), signed a special memorandum of understanding on February 28 in protest against the government’s failure to address the severe crisis in the health sector.

The GMOA announced that, as part of intensified trade union action, doctors will withdraw from the government’s “Arogya” mobile medical clinics from March 2.

A new Health Services Trade Union Alliance has been formed with four primary objectives, including safeguarding free healthcare services and securing professional rights for healthcare workers.

Dr. Wasantha Ratnasiri, a member of the GMOA media committee, stated that the Health Ministry has failed to provide satisfactory responses to doctors’ concerns. As a result, seven forms of trade union action are currently underway.

These include refusing to issue prescriptions for drugs unavailable in government hospitals that require patients to purchase them externally, and declining participation in medical camps organized for political purposes.

The GMOA further alleged that the Health Ministry has implemented the “Arogya” programme unilaterally without consultation with health sector unions. Doctors have unanimously decided to withdraw from the programme beginning March 2.

If the government continues its current stance, trade union action may be extended to primary healthcare services, Dr. Ratnasiri warned, urging the Health Ministry to engage in dialogue immediately.