The number of specialist doctors who have migrated illegally and neglected their responsibilities by migrating legally during the last few years is 150, the Health Ministry said.
It said that these doctors will be blacklisted and added that 30 doctors have migrated illegally this year.
Dr. Priyantha Atapattu, Director-Tertiary Care Services, said that if a government employee including doctors travel abroad, the approval of the Prime Minister and the minister in charge is mandatory.
He said that the head of the institution has the authority to take action against doctors who travel abroad without approval and doctors who have neglected their responsibilities. Accordingly, the head of the institution can blacklist such doctors.
Meanwhile, it was reported that the names of the doctors who are blacklisted will be published on the website of the Ministry of Public Administration.
Accordingly, Dr. Atapattu revealed that legal proceedings are being taken to collect fines from the specialist doctors staying abroad, blacklist them, cancel their registration at the Sri Lanka Medical Council and inform the British Medical Council as well.
When the British Medical Council is informed about such doctors, who study with taxpayers money and then neglect their responsibilities by going abroad, Dr. Atapattu pointed out that the doctors who legally travel abroad may also lose their jobs.
Sri Lanka Police have launched an investigation into a video going viral on social media, which depicts a female tuition teacher being escorted by police motorcycles and vehicles to an event organized by her.
Police Media Spokesperson SSP Buddhika Manathunga confirmed that the individual in question is a private tuition teacher who conducts classes for students preparing for the Grade 5 Scholarship Examination.
Addressing the controversy, SSP Manathunga explained that the Sri Lanka Police may provide officers and vehicles for specific public affairs — such as for filming a movie — but only after a thorough intelligence review of the request and its context, including the script.
He further clarified that police officers may also be deployed for public events such as musical shows or ticketed functions, but this is permitted only upon payment of a required fee.
In this particular case, the teacher is reported to have requested police support, claiming it was needed for a ceremony honoring students who had successfully passed the Grade 5 Scholarship Examination. The event was said to involve nearly 8,000 students and 35,000 parents.
However, preliminary investigations have revealed that the teacher may have used the police escort to boost her personal image, raising serious concerns about the misuse of state resources.
Police have since launched an inquiry into how the vehicles and officers were allocated for the event, and whether any police personnel were complicit in the unauthorized use of official resources, SSP Manathunga said.
According to reports, the SriLankan Airlines’ management has decided to immediately call up retired cabin crew members to service, following the ‘work to rule’ campaign launched by the Cabin Crew Members Association.
The SriLankan Airlines Cabin Crew Members Association launched a ‘work to rule’ campaign in April, citing several demands, including the reallocation of their onboard meal allowance.
In this backdrop, the national carrier is said to be operating with a reduced number of cabin crew which was further affected by the recent retirement of a significant number of experienced senior staff.
The staff were retired stating that individuals over the age of 60 would no longer be retained.
Efforts to extend the retirement age had been unsuccessful.
Even though they had directed a formal request to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Dec. 12, 2024, no response was received, reports add.
