I read the following article in the Island. Dr Rukshan Bellana has a point in this whole matter. My gripe is why are a lot of the staff officers in respective government organisations are being provided with a glorified driver as a chauffeur? I can understand if they are field officials who has to travel a lot in them doing their day to day business. If it is for somebody who comes work in a office in the morning & leaves after work it is a absolute waste of time to provide them with these glorified drivers. If I am not wrong certain drivers have a part time job after they have transported their superior in the morning till evening when they have to transport him back to his residence. On the other hand someone would say the state is providing employment to the masses by employing them as part time drivers (on full pay!!) thereby providing a stipend for the families. Essentially we call ourselves as a Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka but in fact we have a Capitalistic economy by way of generation of taxes. Remember no state employee pays direct tax as far as I know. Now let's get back to the doctors, I want to know why do they need a chauffeur? Doctors by nature are in static employment unless they do Channel Practice! Then they definitely do need a chauffeur! Also on the point duty free cars I really do draw the line here on the fact Duty Free permits should be cancelled. Have reasonable duty structure let every body enjoy the fruits of us becoming a MIDDLE INCOME ECONOMY like Dr Ajith Nivard Cabraal & Dr P B Jayasundera is always harping about it day in day out!!!!
By Dilanthi Jayamanne
"The Government Medical Officers’ Forum (GMOF) yesterday urged the government to provide doctors with official vehicles and chauffeurs or give them duty free vehicle permits as in the 1970s.
President of the GMOF, Dr. Rukshan Bellana, complained that doctors were being discriminated against in comparison to other professionals. Engineers, SLAS officers, police ASP’s and Army Majors were provided with chauffeur driven vehicles besides being paid fuel and maintenance allowances. Doctors were merely given a vehicle permit for which they had to pay 70 percent custom duty.
Dr. Bellana said that in the 1970s only doctors had been entitled to the duty free vehicle permits.
During the weekly meeting on Sunday (09) the union discussed the issue. The custom duty on vehicles imported by doctors had amounted to 65 percent previously but it had been increased to 70 percent in the budgetary proposals for next year. He said it was cheaper to purchase a vehicle from a car sale.
The situation had taken a turn for the worse as doctors had to obtain bank loans. A post intern doctor could not afford to purchase a vehicle as their salary amounted to about Rs. 50,000––Rs. 26,000 plus allowances.
The GMOF President said that some categories of state employeeshad been given chauffeur driven official vehicles plus car permits."
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