The Hon. (Dr.) Nalinda Jayatissa

¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, first, to correct a term: they are officially designated “Public Health Midwives” in English; in Sinhala usage, the proper title is “Family Health Services Officer” (not “Family Health Nurse”). Using the correct title accords due respect.

¶ 02 Answers: (a)(i) Yes, clearly. Through the network of Medical Officer of Health (MOH) offices, Public Health Midwives deliver high-quality antenatal, intrapartum-supportive, and postpartum care, maternal and child health promotion, and health education. Sri Lanka’s strong maternal and child health indicators—and our Universal Health Coverage score of 67—owe much to their field and institutional work.

¶ 03 (ii) Vacancies: - Under the Line Ministry hospitals: 430 - Under Provincial Councils’ hospitals and institutions: 2,183 Total vacancies: 2,613

¶ 04 (iii) Yes. At present, 1,110 Public Health Midwife trainees are in training and are due to complete in March 2026. Upon completion, appointments will be given to fill vacancies. We expect to recruit them into service. Additionally, we are seeking Management Services Department approval to enroll a further batch of 1,000 trainees. In March this year, 976 Public Health Midwives were appointed. Thus, approximately 2,100 will be absorbed over the coming two to three years.

¶ 05 (iv) Measures to improve facilities and welfare include: - Provision of 2,250 motorcycles for field officers, to be delivered by April next year, addressing a long-standing transport gap (noting prior distribution gaps in some districts). - A special duty allowance of Rs. 6,000. - Uniform allowance increased by Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 28,000 from May. - General public service-wide salary increases will also apply to them.

¶ 06 (b) Does not arise.