Image: Reuters Berita 24 English - Teachers, physicians, and other members of the medical community in Sri Lanka will protest in the street...
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| Image: Reuters |
Berita 24 English - Teachers, physicians, and other members of the medical community in Sri Lanka will protest in the streets on Wednesday to call on the government to address the chronic fuel shortage that is the country's greatest economic crisis in decades.
The prime minister, Mahinda Rajapaksa, the elder brother of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, resigned last month after weeks of mass protests against cascading issues such as power outages and shortages of food and medication erupted with nine fatalities and about 300 injuries.
With only enough fuel to last for approximately a week, the government on Tuesday imposed a two-week supply restriction for necessities including railroads, buses, and the healthcare industry.
However, despite being considered essential workers, doctors, nurses, and other medical personnel claim that it is difficult for them to find fuel to come to work.
According to H. M. Mediwatta, secretary of the All Island Nurses Union, one of Sri Lanka's largest nursing organisations, "This is an impossible position; the government has to offer us a solution."
After COVID-19 ravaged Sri Lanka's tourism-based economy and reduced remittances from its abroad employees, the island nation is currently experiencing its worst economic crisis since gaining independence in 1948.
The problems have been made worse by rising energy prices, populist tax cuts, and a seven-month import restriction on chemical fertilisers last year that wreaked havoc on agriculture.
Mediwatta described how special tokens intended to ensure that medical professionals could purchase fuel at the gas stations were being disregarded.
"We can't move up in line at the gas station because of the people there. We are unable to arrive at work on time."
On Wednesday and Thursday, public health inspectors and other healthcare professionals are also on strike.
The 22 million-person island nation is almost out of usable foreign exchange reserves needed to import necessities including food, medicine, gasoline, and diesel.
Many people have been detained while attempting to leave the nation by boat as a result of the mounting sense of crisis.
Additionally, the administration is seeking assistance abroad.
In an effort to obtain fuel, Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera met with Qatar's Minister of State for Energy Affairs and CEO Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi on Tuesday.
Also looking for a credit line from the Qatar Fund for Development is Wijesekera.
At the weekend, a second Sri Lankan minister will visit Russia in pursuit of energy deals.
According to President Rajapaksa, Vice President Joe Biden of the United States has promised $20 million to Sri Lanka in order to feed more than 800,000 children as well as 27,000 expectant and lactating women over the next 15 months.
The shortages of fuel and other necessities, the depletion of reserves, and the restricted fiscal space, according to investment firm Asia Securities, will continue to be major issues for the rest of the year.
Compared to its previous prediction of a contraction of roughly 5.5 percent, the economy may contract by 7.5 to 9.0 percent annually. It stated that the GDP expanded by 3.3% last year.
"This appears to reduce economic productivity for the medium term when combined with limited USD liquidity and rising rates," it said.
