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10th Parliament· 154 sittings on record · 30,475 speeches · latest 10 June 2026

Sitting of Thursday, 10 April 2025

10th Parliament· 16 debates· 162 speeches· 51 speakers

Source: Hansard PDF (parliament.lk) ↗ ·No. 1747999742032122 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard

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Order of business

Speeches load per item. Summaries shown here are AI-generated and labelled; verbatim text is on each speech page.

  7. 7 Oral question Oral Question 541/2025: National Cancer Institute - Essential Drugs 6 speeches
    • The Hon. Deputy Speaker procedural
      Full speech →
    • The Hon. (Dr.) Nalinda Jayatissa - Minister of Health and Mass Media and Chief Government Whip JJB

      AI summary Anastrozole shortages at the relevant hospital occurred in late December and January, but the Ministry of Health’s Medical Supplies Division supplied 282,000 tablets on 22 February 2025, enabling uninterrupted provision thereafter. Regarding Malwathuhiripitiya Regional Hospital, the Minister stated that its approved cadre is three medical officers and that, after releasing one officer appointed in excess of cadre, services are being maintained by five doctors including a registered medical officer and a post-intern officer on attachment.

      Healthcare Full speech →
    • The Hon. Harshana Rajakaruna SJB

      AI summary Harshana Rajakaruna questioned the Minister on reported staff shortages and curtailed services at Malwathuhiripitiya Hospital, requesting that the Minister look beyond official reports and consider a personal inspection. He also raised broader concerns about medicine shortages in hospitals, including cancer medicines, stating that patients are often required to buy prescribed drugs from private pharmacies. He asked what action would be taken to rectify delays and problems in the medicines ordering and procurement process.

      Public FinanceHealthcare Full speech →
    • The Hon. (Dr.) Nalinda Jayatissa JJB

      AI summary Medicine supply delays are attributed to late ordering and procurement backlogs from 2023 and 2024, with the full procurement cycle taking around nine and a half months. Around 8,062 items are supplied through the Medical Supplies Division, and the 2025 Budget has allocated Rs. 40 billion for hospitals to make decentralized purchases to address shortages. Additional measures include regional procurement and coordination with foreign governments, including India, while shortages at the Cancer Institute are being addressed case by case.

      HealthcarePublic Finance Full speech →
    • The Hon. Harshana Rajakaruna SJB

      AI summary Harshana Rajakaruna raised concerns about operational and supplier-relations problems at the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation, noting reports that suppliers cannot obtain meetings and may be losing interest in bidding, which could aggravate procurement difficulties. He also drew attention to media reports that all three X-ray machines at the National Hospital, Colombo, were out of service after one machine had been handling 600–800 scans daily, and urged the Minister to address the matter urgently.

      Public FinanceHealthcare Full speech →
    • The Hon. (Dr.) Nalinda Jayatissa JJB

      AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Nalinda Jayatissa said that when equipment in major hospitals such as the National Hospital, Colombo breaks down, private sector services are used temporarily until repairs are completed. He stated that the Medical Supplies Division had submitted orders to the SPC before 31 March, with many tenders for medicines and equipment underway, and that discussions had been held with local manufacturers and importers to streamline procurement. He added that the Treasury had been instructed to release funds, while mutual settlement arrangements were being pursued where suppliers also owed money to the SPC, with the objective of ensuring uninterrupted supplies of quality medicines.

      HealthcarePublic Finance Full speech →