Hon. (Dr.) Hansaka Wijemuni, M.P.

Jathika Jana balawegaya (JJB)· Mahanuwara

Deputy Minister of Health

Profession: Medical Doctor

Roster profile ↗

Speeches 81 #62 of 225·#27 in party

Attendance 8/8 days present (of recorded)

Speech history

81 speeches

10 June 2026 AI summary Deputy Minister of Health Hansaka Wijemuni stated that the Government plans to establish 2,000 Primary Medical Care Centers, of which 418 have already been set up, with a further 300 expected within the year. He said the current number is insufficient for a full assessment, but the expansion should help address gaps in the health system. He also noted that around 2,000 locally trained doctors and 500 foreign-trained doctors are added to the system annually. Adjournment: Issues in Health Sector Healthcare Read →
10 June 2026 AI summary The Deputy Minister of Health merely acknowledged the Presiding Member and did not make any substantive remarks, proposals, or policy statements. Adjournment: Issues in Health Sector Healthcare Read →
10 June 2026 AI summary Deputy Minister Hansaka Wijemuni said the Health Ministry is implementing a ten-year plan and Strategic Plan covering infrastructure, recruitment, equipment, prevention, treatment, and post-care services. He acknowledged shortages across all health workforce categories and said 8,133 doctors and 13,000 nurses are planned for recruitment, while a scientific cadre revision by the Health and Finance Ministries is nearing completion to determine hospital-level staffing needs. On medicines, he said shortages have reduced, a new procurement procedure is being developed with Asian Development Bank support, weekly Medicines Review Committee meetings are being held, and the SWASTHA software system is being expanded to improve distribution and stock management. Adjournment: Issues in Health Sector EmploymentHealthcare Read →
20 May 2026 AI summary The Hon. (Dr.) Hansaka Wijemuni stated that information relating to the construction and maintenance costs of roads and expressways had already been publicized. He agreed, in response to a request, to publicize it again for greater public awareness. Oral Answers to Questions (Q.1-Q.7) Infrastructure Read →
20 May 2026 AI summary On behalf of the Minister of Health and Mass Media, the Deputy Minister stated that medicine quality failures are determined by laboratory testing and that the NMRA has no recorded instances of deliberately creating such failures. He said that, among life-saving or high-cost cold-chain medicines in the past five years, only two batches of Tenecteplase Injection 40 mg were temporarily withheld pending NMRA regulatory decisions. He explained that hospital reports may trigger NMRA action, but withdrawals or suspensions are regulatory decisions, and tender awards by the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation take account of NMRA-recommended withdrawals, with conditional awards possible in other cases. For January 2025 to February 2026, he cited totals for suspensions, rejections, batch and product withdrawals and related actions, and added that no NMRA-withdrawn medicines had been recorded as sold in the private market, with no such complaints recorded in 2024. Oral Answers to Questions (Q.1-Q.7) Public FinanceHealthcare Read →
8 April 2026 AI summary On behalf of the Minister of Health and Mass Media, the Deputy Minister requested two weeks’ time to provide an answer to the matter before the House. The question was ordered to stand down. Oral Questions: Second Round (Q.3, Q.4, Q.5/1563-1655/2025) Parliamentary Procedure Read →
7 April 2026 AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Hansaka Wijemuni stated that ambulance drivers fall under two administrative categories: those recruited by the Central Government and those serving in provincial hospitals under Provincial Councils. He said transfers made by Provincial Councils are within their authority and should be accepted as part of the provincial system, adding that the Ministry of Health does not expect any major issue to arise from them. Oral Question: Aswesuma Programme - Appeals and Objections HealthcareEthnic Reconciliation & Devolution Read →
7 April 2026 AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Hansaka Wijemuni stated that doctors assigned to specific duty stations have been instructed to report to work by the end of the month, failing which their salaries will be withheld. He added that the specific case raised would be examined and appropriate action taken. Oral Question: Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children - Waiting Lists (Q.1030/2025) HealthcareEmployment Read →
7 April 2026 AI summary Around 7,000 long-delayed doctor transfers are being implemented, which may cause temporary staffing shortages until replacements take up posts. The Minister stated that the process is expected to be completed by the end of May and that vacancies will be filled. He also assured Parliament that there is no intention to downgrade Laggala’s grade. Oral Question: Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children - Waiting Lists (Q.1030/2025) EmploymentHealthcare Read →
7 April 2026 AI summary Deputy Minister Hansaka Wijemuni provided detailed figures on surgical waiting lists at Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children, reporting a total of 2,712 pending cases, with the largest numbers in cardiothoracic, general paediatric, ophthalmic, ENT and plastic surgeries. He also tabled annual surgery totals for 2020 to 2022 and cumulative figures, and outlined measures to reduce waiting times, including dedicated theatres, restarting day surgeries, expanding ICU capacity through the Little Hearts Complex, procuring equipment and linen facilities, increasing cadre, collaborating with local and foreign surgical teams, and introducing a theatre information system. Oral Question: Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children - Waiting Lists (Q.1030/2025) Healthcare Read →
6 March 2026 AI summary The Deputy Minister of Health tabled a response stating that Batticaloa Teaching Hospital serves the Eastern Province and nearby districts, including Badulla, Polonnaruwa, and Monaragala. He said patients are referred to nearby hospitals where facilities are unavailable, while procurement is underway for an MRI scanner, cath lab, and brachytherapy unit, with a CT scanner already available. Procurement is proceeding subject to available financial provisions, including an ADB-supported brachytherapy project. Oral Questions: Various Tabled Answers (Health, Justice, Education) Healthcare Read →
5 March 2026 AI summary The Deputy Minister of Health stated that hospital development is being carried out under a national Master Plan covering infrastructure, human resources, and service capacity. He said the Kandy District plan includes further development of the three hospitals in question, acknowledged existing facility gaps, and noted that funding provisions have been allocated for the current year. Oral Question: District Hospital Grading and Health Issues (Q.9) HealthcareInfrastructure Read →
5 March 2026 AI summary The Deputy Minister of Health stated that the hospital in question had not been downgraded and had always been classified as a Divisional Hospital. He noted that while it has facilities comparable to a district-level hospital, government policy is to upgrade hospitals rather than downgrade them. Oral Question: District Hospital Grading and Health Issues (Q.9) Healthcare Read →
5 March 2026 AI summary The Deputy Minister, replying on behalf of the Minister of Health and Mass Media, outlined health service issues in the Deltota, Galaha and Pattiyagama-Pallegama hospital areas, including child malnutrition, anaemia among pregnant mothers, shortages of dental surgeons, and inadequate maternal and child health staffing. He stated the current hospital grades and provided approved cadre and staffing details, noting several vacancies, including dental surgeons and support staff. He said recent maternal deaths in the relevant MOH areas were not attributable to transport from these hospitals, and explained that ICUs are not established in divisional hospitals because specialist cadres are approved only for secondary or higher-level institutions, while Emergency Treatment Units are provided where needed. Oral Question: District Hospital Grading and Health Issues (Q.9) Healthcare Read →
17 February 2026 AI summary The Deputy Minister of Health stated that the legal framework has been finalized to impose ceiling prices on medicines and surgical devices, with maximum retail prices to be set based on CIF values for imports. He also said that costly disability-related devices, including hearing aids, can be provided through the Ministry’s named-patient prescription mechanism after specialist confirmation and procurement via the Medical Supplies Division. Oral Question: Improvement of Health Facilities for Persons with Disabilities (Q.8/2025) HealthcareCost of Living Read →
17 February 2026 AI summary Deputy Minister Hansaka Wijemuni acknowledged communication difficulties in hospitals and said the Health Ministry has begun awareness programmes for staff on sign language and other communication methods, with plans to expand them. He stated that the Ministry’s objective is to ensure hospital staff provide necessary support to admitted patients with disabilities without requiring external attendants or family members. He attributed remaining gaps to administrative issues, including staff being diverted to other minor duties, and said the Ministry is reviewing the situation hospital by hospital to streamline the system. Oral Question: Improvement of Health Facilities for Persons with Disabilities (Q.8/2025) HealthcareWomen & Children Read →
17 February 2026 AI summary Deputy Minister Hansaka Wijemuni, replying on behalf of the Minister of Health and Mass Media, outlined measures to improve hospital access and services for persons with disabilities, including upgraded sanitation, rehabilitation units, prosthetics and orthotics services, priority clinic tokens, accessible clinic facilities, and audio-visual health information. He said there is currently no standardized mechanism to identify persons with disabilities at hospital entry points, but plans include dedicated pharmacy, registration and information counters, sign language and disability-sensitivity training for staff, and recruitment of rehabilitation-related health professionals. He also noted proposals to expand assistive device production and repair, seek tax and regulatory support, involve the private sector and caregivers, and establish rehabilitation units in primary hospitals, while clarifying that financial assistance for medicines and tests is handled by the National Secretariat for Persons with Disabilities, not the Health Ministry. Oral Question: Improvement of Health Facilities for Persons with Disabilities (Q.8/2025) HealthcareWomen & Children Read →
9 January 2026 AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Hansaka Wijemuni briefly referred Members to a document, stating that reading it would provide a clear understanding and asking that it be shared with others. The sitting then concluded, with Parliament adjourned at 5.34 p.m. until 9.30 a.m. on 20 January 2026. Adjournment Debate and Adjournment Parliamentary Procedure Read →
9 January 2026 AI summary Deputy Minister of Health Hansaka Wijemuni outlined the NMRA process for registering medicines, including site inspections, dossier review, pre-shipment sampling and laboratory testing, and said registration delays had been reduced from 400–500 days to around 300 working days. He stated that the Government is strengthening post-marketing surveillance, upgrading the understaffed NMRA laboratory to international standards, and considering an independent national laboratory for pharmaceuticals and food testing. He also noted that the 2026 Budget allocates Rs. 185 billion for medicine procurement, with efforts to expand local sourcing, address supply gaps and monopolies, and advance price regulation. On the Troponin-I reagent issue, he said procurement disputes are before court and will be resolved judicially. Adjournment Debate and Adjournment HealthcarePublic Finance Read →
9 January 2026 AI summary Regulations under the Import and Export (Control) Act were supported as necessary to expedite clearance of foreign-donated consignments after Cyclone “Dicha,” while maintaining safety and quality checks for medical goods through processes such as NMRA approval and re-verification. The Deputy Minister said the Health Ministry uses priority lists to avoid unsuitable donations and hidden recurring costs, and noted planned absorption of 153 donated or funded ambulances into the 1990 Suwaseriya service. He also addressed Kandy municipal issues, stating unauthorized pavement trading was removed after a phased process with alternatives provided, and denied claims of arbitrary 400-500 per cent rate increases. Debate: Imports and Exports (Control) Act Regulations InfrastructureHealthcarePublic Finance Read →