Sri Lanka's Public Health Inspectors initiated an island-wide token strike on January 21st in protest against the transfer of a senior Medical Officer of Health at Katunayake Airport, also withdrawing from dengue control operations.

Public Health Inspectors across Sri Lanka staged a token strike on January 21st by calling in sick, according to action coordinated by their union leadership. The protest was organized in response to what union officials characterize as the arbitrary transfer of a senior Medical Officer of Health stationed at Katunayake Airport Health Office.

According to Chamil Muthukuda, General Secretary of the Public Health Inspectors' Union of Sri Lanka, the decision emerged from an Executive Committee meeting held on the evening of January 19th. The union has also escalated its action by withdrawing Public Health Inspectors from all dengue control activities nationwide, beginning January 20th.

In addition to the strike action, the union submitted a formal letter to the Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Mass Media outlining their grievances regarding the transfer decision. The move reflects broader concerns within the health sector workforce about personnel management and transfer procedures, though specific details about the transferred officer and the rationale for the reassignment were not immediately provided.