A group of healthcare workers from Colombo National Hospital staged a protest this morning within the hospital premises, calling for the removal of Dr. Rukshan Bellana, the Deputy Director.

The protest, which lasted for several hours, followed a situation where Dr. Bellana was confined to his office by the health workers for nearly seven hours the previous day. Eventually, law enforcement intervened and escorted Dr. Bellana out of his office.

The protest comes amid ongoing strikes by 72 health trade unions, who are demanding an allowance similar to the DAT (Disturbance, Availability, and Transport) allowance recently approved for doctors.

During this period of strike action, Dr. Bellana, in his capacity as Deputy Director of Colombo National Hospital, made several statements to the media regarding the strike.

In response to these statements, healthcare assistants protested yesterday, demanding the removal of Dr. Bellana from his position as Deputy Director. Furthermore, this morning, healthcare assistants at Colombo National Hospital reiterated their stance, stating that they will continue their strike until Dr. Bellana is relieved of his duties as Deputy Director of the hospital.