Sri Lanka public service nurses' strike likely to drag on

The strike of the nurses of Sri Lanka's hospitals is likely to drag on to the next week also, the developments in the health sector indicate.

The Government Nursing Officers' Association Chairman Saman Rathnapriya said today that the nurses would continue the strike until the authorities grant a solution to their demand. They demand the government to provide midwifery training to all student nurses as part of their preliminary training. Midwifery training was given to nurses earlier as a post basic training.

Saman Rathnapriya said that the Government Medical Officers' Association (GMOA) must be responsible for the inconvenience caused to the public due to this strike. GMOA has rejected providing midwifery education to the student nurses and the nursing trade unions protest the move of the GMOA.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Public Service United Nurses' Union (PSUNU) Muruttettuwe Ananda Thero said that his union would strike only two days.

However, sources say that many of the hospital branches of the PSUNU are likely to decide to continue the strike.

Hospital services have been severely disrupted in Sri Lanka due to the strike of the nurses.