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No decision on non-approval of doctors’ foreign leave – Minister (Update)

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Minister of Health Keheliya Rambukwella has stated that despite certain claims, no decision pertaining to non-approval of foreign leave for doctors has been made yet.

However, the Minister had noted that a discussion is due to be held with the health sector trade unions focusing on how Sri Lanka can retain its doctors, despite the ongoing situation.

Meanwhile, speaking at a press conference this morning (16 Aug), Secretary of the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) Dr. Haritha Aluthge urged that the government take measures to resolve the issues faced by doctors, prior to imposing certain restrictions on them such as the non-approval of foreign leave.

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(Previous News : August 16, 2023 12.36pm)

No leave for specialist doctors to travel overseas

The Health Ministry has decided not to approve leave for doctors in fields with a limited number of specialists, including anaesthesiologists, to go overseas.

Ministry Secretary Janaka Shri Chandragupta said that several areas where there is a severe shortage of doctors in the health service have been identified by now.

If they travel abroad without notifying the ministry, the secretary said that they will be fired followed by necessary further actions.

The number of doctors specialising in certain fields in Sri Lanka is very limited, and the health sector faced several crises as a result of specialist doctors going overseas in recent days.

The Health Secretary said over 600 doctors have gone overseas for specialist training, and 300 of them are due to return this year.

He said the current shortage of experts in some fields will be resolved to some extent once these doctors return.

Meanwhile, the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) recently said that 274 specialist doctors have left the country during the one-year period that ended on May 31.

The GMOA said 842 graded medical officers have also left the country during this period.

(Newsradio)

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Norochcholai generator to shut down for 25 days

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The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) announced that the generator No. 01 at the Norochcholai Power Plant will be deactivated from midnight today (June 13) for scheduled maintenance lasting 25 days.

This will result in a temporary reduction of 300 megawatts from the national grid.

However, the Kelanitissa Combined Cycle Power Plant, which had been deactivated for around one and a half months for maintenance, will also be reactivated from midnight, contributing 165 megawatts back to the system.

CEB Media Spokesman – Dhammika Wimalaratne noted that the timing of the maintenance aligns with increased hydroelectric generation capacity due to current rainfall.

(Source: Aruna)

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Global oil prices soar after Israel attacks Iran

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Global oil prices jumped after Israel said it had struck Iran, in a dramatic escalation of tensions in the Middle East.

Benchmark oil contracts Brent Crude and Nymex light sweet were up by more than 10% after the news emerged.

Traders are concerned that a conflict between Iran and Israel could disrupt supplies coming from the energy-rich region.

The cost of crude oil affects everything from the price of food at the supermarket to how much it costs to fill up your car.

Analysts have told the BBC that energy traders will now be watching to see whether Iran retaliates in the coming days.

“It’s an explosive situation, albeit one that could be defused quickly as we saw in April and October last year, when Israel and Iran struck each other directly,” Vandana Hari of Vandana Insights told the BBC.

“It could also spiral out into a bigger war that disrupts Mideast oil supply,” she added.

In an extreme scenario, Iran could disrupt supplies of millions of barrels of oil a day if it targets infrastructure or shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

The strait is one of the world’s most important shipping routes, with about a fifth of the world’s oil passing through it.

At any one time, there are several dozen tankers on their way to the Strait of Hormuz, or leaving it, as major oil and gas producers in the Middle East and their customers transport energy from the region.

Bounded to the north by Iran and to the south by Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Strait of Hormuz connects the Gulf with the Arabian Sea.

“What we see now is very initial risk-on reaction. But over the next day or two, the market will need to factor in where this could escalate to,” Saul Kavonic, head of energy research at MST Financial said.

(BBC News)

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CID teams conduct prison inspections islandwide

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The Ministry of Public Security says that 28 Criminal Investigation Department (CID) teams have begun inspections at all prisons across the country yesterday (June 12), with the operation continuing today (June 13) due to its scale.

These inspections focus particularly on reviewing prison documents, as part of the ongoing investigation into the alleged misuse of presidential pardons to unlawfully release inmates.

Commissioner General of Prisons – Thushara Upuldeniya, who was arrested over the unauthorized release of an Anuradhapura Prison inmate on Vesak Poya Day, remains in custody at a Colombo prison under special protection.

Meanwhile, Anuradhapura Prison Superintendent – Mohan Karunaratne, who has also been remanded, is to be produced before court again today.

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