The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) has called for amendments to several Sections of the recently proposed Elimination of Rabies and Registration of Dogs Draft Bill.
GMOA Media Spokesperson Dr. Lasitha Kannangara made these remarks during a press conference held in Colombo yesterday (02).
The Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government has taken steps to introduce the Elimination of Rabies and Registration of Dogs Draft Bill, aimed at eradicating rabies in Sri Lanka and registering dogs.
The proposed Draft Bill seeks to regulate dog vaccination, control the dog population and oversee the breeding of dogs for commercial purposes. It also makes annual rabies vaccination and registration mandatory for every dog within the relevant local authority.
However, Section 4 of the Draft Bill stipulates that dogs should be vaccinated against rabies only by a veterinary surgeon or under the supervision of a veterinary surgeon.
The GMOA has warned that this provision could pose a serious threat to the government’s efforts to reduce rabies-related deaths in the country.
