The Hon. (Dr.) Pathmanathan Sathiyalingam

¶ 01 Thank you, Hon. Deputy Chairperson. In the Northern Province, health services consist of a teaching hospital, four base hospitals, district hospitals, ten divisional hospitals, and a preventive healthcare sector through PHC units and MOH offices. Together they provide services across a vast province—the third largest by land area, nearly 9,000 square kilometres—with a dispersed population, creating resource challenges.

¶ 02 Two principal constraints are human resources and physical resources—equipment shortages, vehicles (including trucks for medical supplies), etc. From specialists to minor staff, there are deficits. The last cadre revision was in 2013; even that approved cadre is not fully filled. As per current data, 8,295 posts are required; 6,382 are filled; 1,913 vacancies remain across all levels—based on the 2013 revision. Please take steps to fill these vacancies.

¶ 03 We have 55 divisional (district) hospitals; in 33 of them, there is not a single nursing officer. Hon. Minister, out of 55 divisional hospitals, 33 have no nursing officer at all.