Doctor assaulted by gang

The Trincomalee branch of the Government Medical Officers Association will hold an emergency meeting on the assault on a doctor by three unidentified men at the Trincomalee base hospital on January 13.

The doctor, a Sinhalese, had been assaulted, tied to a bed and given an injection. His assailants had also demanded one million rupees from him.

The doctor was later admitted to the Intensive Care Unit as he was lying unconscious in his quarters. The GMOA has made arrangements to transfer him to the Colombo National hospital for treatment, Trincomalee Hospital Director Dr. Mrs. P. K. Gunagunalan said.

She said that the doctor was a senior house officer at the hospital and had been serving there over the last two years. A few minutes after the alleged incident, measures were taken to treat the doctor. As he was unconscious and had difficulty in breathing, he was admitted to the ICU and was out of danger.

The GMOA, has asked the government to intensify security for doctors working in the North and East and to provide International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) assistance for doctors travelling from Colombo to the North and East, GMOA General Secretary Dr. Anuruddha Padeniya said.

Dr. Padeniya said that Health Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva should realize the gravity of the situation.

The GMOA since transferring doctors to the North and East had been asking the government to provide adequate security for the doctors working there, but its requests had fallen on deaf ears.

He added that the LTTE and some terrorists in the North and East had been trying to frighten and even kill medical personnel on many occasions and it was the bounden duty of the government to provide maximum security for medical personnel.

OIC Trincomalee Harbour Police T. L. Bandara said a special police team had been deployed to trace and arrest the culprits.

A Senior Doctor of the GMOA Dr. Upul Gunasakara said that the Tricomalee GMOA branch office would take a decision on the incident in communication with the GMOA Head office in Colombo. A strong trade union action could be launched in protest of the incident.

Healthcare Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva said that he would take appropriate measures in consultation with security chiefs.