An injured man waits for treatment in the main hospital in Colombo yesterday

Sri Lankan doctors demanding higher pay went on strike at state-run hospitals yesterday, turning away thousands of patients and cancelling hundreds of routine surgical operations, officials said.
The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) said doctors had resorted to the move to press their demand for a doubling of their monthly transport allowance to Rs30,000 ($240).
“We were promised this increase way back in 2008, but the government is yet to implement it,” a GMOA official who asked not to be named told AFP. “That is why we staged a token one-day strike.”
A heart patient petitioned court yesterday saying his life was at risk because of the strike and judge Dhammika Ganepola issued the GMOA with an injunction preventing further trade union action until May 25, a court official said.
The health ministry said it had paid part of the allowance demanded by the doctors.
There has been a spate of smaller protests and strikes in many parts of the country in recent months after the government sharply raised the price of fuel.
Imports have also grown more expensive after the local currency fell by over 15% against the dollar this year. AFP