The Hon. (Dr.) Kavinda Heshan Jayawardhana

¶ 01 I will take a short additional time, Sir.

¶ 02 Doctors’ security in hospitals is lacking.

¶ 03 Sri Lankan salaries: an MO’s basic is about Rs. 58,300; in the UK, roughly Rs. 1,755,000 (LKR equivalent); in Australia, Rs. 1,545,000. A specialist here earns about Rs. 88,000, whereas in the UK it is about Rs. 3,736,200; in UAE Rs. 3,360,000. Despite this, Sri Lanka ranks 47th globally in health indicators; 7th in Asia; 1st in South Asia. This stems from our professionals’ dedication.

¶ 04 Yet senior administrative cadres receive vehicles, fuel, drivers — including private secretaries, coordinating secretaries, media secretaries — but not doctors who work 24/7/365. That is unfair.

¶ 05 Brain drain: from May 2022 to May 2025, 726 specialists and 1,116 medical officers have left; total 2,842. Another 6,000 are preparing for PLAB/ERPM/USMLE. If they go, the system will collapse. Media reports indicate shortages of surgeons, anaesthetists and paediatricians, with elective and even general surgeries being halted, e.g., Karapitiya’s anaesthesia crisis affecting paediatric, oncology and general surgeries. Specialists historically avoided strikes; now, for the first time, they have resorted to action due to two core demands. When doctors stop writing private prescriptions while 131 drugs are nationally out of stock, the impact is dire.

¶ 06 The Hon. Minister visited the UK to invite expatriate specialists back, promising facilities and placements. I table the related newspaper clipping (03 Nov 2025). That is welcome, but first address the reasonable demands of doctors already serving here. Many expatriate doctors will return out of love for the country if conditions improve.

¶ 07 When other migrant workers remit funds, their families remain here; doctors migrate with families, leading to no remittances. If we become an educational hub and train more graduates/specialists for export, we can earn; but we must first retain enough doctors here to treat our people.