Monday Mar 16, 2026
Monday Mar 16, 2026
Monday, 16 March 2026 05:09 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) has called on the Government to urgently resolve fuel and transport difficulties faced by doctors, cautioning that the current fuel quota system could affect the functioning of public health services.
In a statement issued yesterday, the GMOA said the State hospital system operates around the clock throughout the year and requires doctors and other healthcare workers to travel frequently across the country to deliver medical services.
The Association noted that doctors generally arrange their own transport for routine duties, on-call work, and emergency responses, and unlike some other public sector positions, they are not provided official vehicles or fuel allowances.
According to the GMOA, the fuel quota allocated under the recently reintroduced QR-based fuel distribution system is inadequate for doctors who must travel long distances to reach hospitals, particularly specialists and medical administrators serving in stations away from their homes.
The Association warned that unless the issue is addressed, some doctors could face difficulties even reaching their workplaces to carry out their duties.
The GMOA urged the Government to recognise the operational challenges faced by healthcare workers and revise the fuel quota allocated to doctors and other health sector staff to ensure that hospital services continue without disruption.
It also called on President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to intervene and treat the fuel issue affecting health workers as a national priority in order to safeguard public access to healthcare.
