Hon. (Dr.) Nihal Abeysinghe, M.P.
Profession: Medical Doctor
Speeches 33 #131 of 225·#74 in party
Attendance 8/8 days present (of recorded)
Top topic Parliamentary Procedure 17 speeches
Last spoke 22 May 2026 in Debate
Activity by sitting
26 sittings · counts only, no scoring.
Topic focus
AI summary AI-assigned tags, 1–3 per speech. Counts only — not a score.
Speech history
33 speeches- 8 July 2025 AI summary Laid before Parliament the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Health, Mass Media and Women’s Empowerment report on the 2023 Annual Performance Report of the Department of Probation and Child Care Services and the 2022 and 2023 Annual Reports of the National Child Protection Authority. The reports had been referred to the Committee and were ordered to lie upon the Table. Announcements and Papers Parliamentary Procedure Read →
- 19 June 2025 AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Nihal Abeysinghe informed Parliament that he accepted a petition from Mr. K.L. Lakshman of Bellapitiya, Horana. Petitions Presented Parliamentary Procedure Read →
- 3 June 2025 AI summary Dr. Nihal Abeysinghe seconded the motion. The question was then put to the House and agreed to. Debate: Personal Data Protection (Amendment) Bill - Second Reading Parliamentary Procedure Read →
- 10 April 2025 AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Nihal Abeysinghe argued that the Batalanda Report should be understood within the wider context of unlawful detention, torture, abductions and disappearances during the 1988-89 period, which he attributed to the policies and actions of the then UNP Government. He referred to the JVP’s participation in democratic politics before its 1983 ban, evidence in the Report disputing its responsibility for the July 1983 violence, and the escalation of repression after the Indo-Lanka Accord. He stated that the current Government, in office for four months, would take lawful measures to investigate crimes committed across the country and hold perpetrators accountable, also recounting his own alleged near-abduction in October 1989. Debate: Report of the Commission of Inquiry into Batalanda Torture Chambers Justice & Human RightsLaw & OrderCorruption & Governance Reform Read →
- 11 March 2025 AI summary Dr. Nihal Abeysinghe supported the expenditure head of the Ministry of Science and Technology, highlighting the Government’s move to bring 12 science and technology institutions under one ministry for coordinated planning, review, and alignment with policy priorities. He said the Ministry should mobilize Sri Lankan scientists and professionals abroad and apply research, digitalization, and new technology to food security, paddy yield improvement, domestic fertilizer production, export quality, poverty reduction, infrastructure, renewable energy, vehicle accessibility, and health services. He emphasized that science and technology should be used to address the country’s economic and social challenges and to support sustainable improvements in living standards. Appropriation Bill, 2025 – Committee Stage Debate (Heads 186, 196, 227) EducationAgriculturePublic Finance Read →
- 8 March 2025 AI summary Dr. Nihal Abeysinghe formally seconded the motion before the House. The question was then put and agreed to, after which the Chair changed from Dr. Kaushalya Ariyarathne to Mrs. Sagarika Athauda. Appropriation Bill, 2025 - Committee Stage: Ministry of Women and Child Affairs Parliamentary Procedure Read →
- 6 March 2025 AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Nihal Abeysinghe clarified that the 2017 initiative referred to family medicine training, while the current proposal is a primary care unit model. He stated that the proposed model would assign a designated family physician with responsibility for the registered community. Appropriation Bill 2025 - Committee Stage: Ministry of Health and Mass Media Healthcare Read →
- 6 March 2025 AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Nihal Abeysinghe rejected Opposition claims that health-sector allowances had been cut, arguing that increased basic salaries would raise percentage-based allowances, take-home pay, increments, loans and pensions. He said the Budget gives priority to health with Rs. 604 billion allocated, including funding for digitalization, medicines and equipment, nutrition programmes, system strengthening and primary care expansion. He proposed a family physician-led primary care model for populations of 5,000-10,000 to reduce overcrowding in higher-level hospitals, improve management of NCDs, elderly care, palliative care, epidemic control, injury prevention and referral systems, while strengthening peripheral hospitals. Appropriation Bill 2025 - Committee Stage: Ministry of Health and Mass Media Public FinanceHealthcare Read →
- 24 February 2025 AI summary Dr. Nihal Abeysinghe defended the 2025 Budget as aligned with the NPP Government’s “Prosperous Country – Beautiful Life” programme, arguing it responds to the economic collapse inherited in 2022 and citing bond restructuring, credit rating upgrades, tourism growth, and resumed Japanese projects as signs of restored confidence. He said the Budget prioritizes production, SMEs, fair distribution, essential services, and selective regulation, while rejecting past practices of borrowing, asset sales, tax concessions, and election-oriented handouts. He highlighted major allocations for social protection, health, education, agriculture modernization, public service digitization, and support for vulnerable groups, linking these to poverty and vulnerability data from the 2023 UNDP survey. Debate: Second Reading of Appropriation Bill, 2025 - Sixth Allotted Day Cost of LivingPublic FinanceEmployment Read →
- 24 February 2025 AI summary A petition from Mr. M.A. Nishantha Kumara of Nabada, Warakagoda, Pahala Karannagoda was presented to Parliament. Petitions Parliamentary Procedure Read →
- 7 February 2025 AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Nihal Abeysinghe said the COVID-19 “cremation only” policy was not technically justified but resulted from political decision-making and anti-Muslim sentiment under the Gotabaya Rajapaksa Government. He cited the initial March 2020 clinical guidelines allowing burial or cremation in line with WHO guidance, followed by an April circular and Gazette mandating cremation, and argued that a later expert committee’s groundwater-contamination hypothesis helped entrench the policy. He also referred to broader COVID-19 management failures caused by political interference, and supported further inquiries into the matter. Private Members' Motion 6: Select Committee to Investigate COVID-19 Cremation Decisions HealthcareCorruption & Governance Reform Read →
- 17 December 2024 AI summary Raising a Point of Order, Dr. Nihal Abeysinghe said a past health-related decision was a wrong political decision that had resulted in a tragedy, with officials acting on the recommendations of an appointed committee. He stated that the Prime Minister and Minister of Health had addressed the matter reasonably, and pledged that the Government would take care to prevent a recurrence, intervene where possible to remedy any injustice, and assume responsibility for relevant technical aspects. Oral Question: Cremation of COVID-19 Victims (Q.9/2024) Parliamentary ProcedureHealthcare Read →
- 6 December 2024 AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Nihal Abeysinghe used his maiden speech to thank voters, particularly in Kalutara District and Horana, for supporting the National People’s Power and acknowledged those who contributed to its electoral victories. Speaking during the debate on the Interim Appropriation, he criticized experienced MPs for focusing on remarks about the JVP rather than engaging substantively with the appropriation’s contents, shortcomings, or possible improvements to expenditure planning. Debate on Vote on Account for Ministry of Public Administration and Related Matters Public FinanceParliamentary Procedure Read →