May 01, Ratnapura: Sri Lanka's Government Medical Officers Union (GMOA), yesterday decided to close the 6th surgical ward of the Ratnapura General Hospital over a clash between a doctor and a nurse.

According to the GMOA sources, a nurse has scolded a doctor who is doing his internship, disturbing his duties. The doctor has logged a complaint that the nurse tried to drive him away from the ward.

The powerful doctors’ trade union says that the ward will not be opened until a disciplinary inquiry is initiated against the nurse.

Clashes between doctors and nurses and strikes over trivial matters are a common feature in Sri Lanka’s public health service. As a result there have been many instances where hospital employees were assaulted by the angry public for not providing them with better service.