The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) announced that it will intensify its ongoing trade union action from 8.00 a.m. today (2), citing the Health Ministry’s failure to present acceptable solutions to its demands.

In a statement, the GMOA said the escalation would include a series of professional actions across the State hospital system. These measures include suspending the issuance of prescriptions and referral notes advising patients to obtain medicines, medical equipment, and laboratory tests externally when such items are unavailable within hospitals.

The association also said its members would withdraw from voluntarily participating in health camps and clinics organised by political groups, and refrain from assigning doctors to newly opened hospital wards and units that are established without an approved cadre of medical officers.

Further, GMOA doctors will decline to examine patients in the absence of adequate facilities and support staff required to ensure patient safety and privacy. Consultant specialists, meanwhile, will limit their services to their officially assigned hospitals and will withdraw from providing cover to hospitals that do not have in-house specialist services.

The continuous trade union action was launched on 26 across the entire State hospital system, based on a set of demands put forward by the association. On the same day, the GMOA’s Central Committee decided to grant the Health Minister 48 hours to arrive at and publicly announce a satisfactory resolution.

However, the GMOA said the Health Ministry failed to offer acceptable solutions within the stipulated timeframe, prompting the decision to further intensify and continue the action without interruption.

The decision to proceed was taken at an emergency meeting of the GMOA’s Executive Committee held on 31, the association added.