Colombo, January 26, 2026 – The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) has announced the start of a continuous trade union action from 8.00 a.m. today, amid ongoing disputes with the Ministry of Health over unresolved demands related to the public health system. The action comes following weeks of tension and follows the conclusion of a 48-hour island-wide symbolic strike earlier this week.
At a media briefing, GMOA media spokesperson Dr. Chamil Wijesinghe explained that the union’s action will involve several targeted measures rather than a full strike. Doctors will continue to work but have refrained from issuing prescriptions for medicines that are not available at hospital clinics — which would otherwise require patients to buy them from private pharmacies. They will also not recommend laboratory tests that cannot be performed within the hospital system.
In addition to these steps, doctors will withhold support for establishing new units in hospitals if the approved number of medical staff cannot be provided. They also plan to withdraw from certain clinics and health camps organised for political purposes and will cease work in areas where assistant officers necessary for patient examinations are not provided.
Dr. Wijesinghe stressed that the action is not a withdrawal of medical services but a form of protest aimed at highlighting systemic shortcomings in staffing and facilities. “We will continue to work, but only within an environment where we are able to do so,” he said, adding that if essential facilities are not provided, the Ministry of Health, the Minister, and the government must take responsibility for any resulting impact on patient care.
The union has scheduled a special GMOA Central Committee meeting on January 28 to consider whether to escalate the action further. The continuous industrial action follows earlier warnings that doctors would launch island-wide measures if their demands — including better allowances and improved working conditions — were not addressed.
While farmers and other trade unions have staged protests in recent months, the GMOA’s actions have repeatedly drawn public attention due to their potential impact on outpatient and non-emergency services in government hospitals.
