Medical sector staff warn that if the public continues to obstruct the access to fuel for the health staff including doctors, there will be a severe risk of collapse of the entire hospital system, including the government’s main hospitals, next week.
Speaking at a media conference held at the Health Ministry, specialist doctors said that
hospital operations were severely hampered due to strong protests from the public last week in providing fuel to health workers and essential services.
Cypetco had allocated 85 fuel stations to provide fuel to hospital workers and other essential services on Friday, but the programme has been disrupted amid public opposition.
Doctors and hospital staff should be present in the hospital if the wife, husband, brothers, sisters or children are sick or if an emergency operation is to be performed, the doctors and hospital staff should be present in the hospital. Even in the event of a conflict at the fuel stations, doctors and hospital staff should be present in the hospital to treat the injured. Due to the severe shortage of fuel, a situation has arisen where other hospital staff including specialists are unable to report for duty and if they cannot get fuel today (01), the entire hospital system will collapse due to the hospital staff not being able to report for duty next week. Dr. Darshana Sirisena, Chairman of the Association of Government Medical Officers, emphasized that they are at risk. According to the current fuel reserves in the country, there is a possibility that the situation will worsen in another week. The hospital system was maintained well in the war situation and during the Covid period, but the hospital system is collapsing daily due to the shortage of fuel.
by Daily News Sri Lanka
, Local, ,