Professor Carlo Fonseka on Monday insisted that the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) refrains from going ahead with its scheduled strike following the end of his term in office as the Chairman of the Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC).

Professor Fonseka informed this as he met with the representatives of the association, including GMOA President Dr. Anuruddha Padeniya in Colombo.

Professor Fonseka also went on to say that if the GMOA intends to launch the proposed island-wide strike, that it will be the ‘end of the relationship’ between him and the association. “Staging strikes in a bid to win demands can be used as a weapon. Use that weapon wisely,” Prof. Fonseka said.

He cited it as an ‘extremely cruel’ act for an association to stage strikes that would put the lives of people in danger. The Professor also said he is of the view that due to his age he no longer has the strength to act as the Chairman of the SLMC. 

However, as Dr. Padeniya stressed that the patients may lose their preliminary rights in near future due to the prevailing situation, the Prof. Fonseka vowed to reconsider his decision.

Dr. Padeniya also pointed out they had to ultimately go ahead with the decision to hold the island-wide strike and that, however under his leadership, the GMOA resolved several issues following discussions with the authorities, except for the issues relating to the private medical college in Malabe.