The Hon. (Dr.) Nalinda Jayathissa - Minister of Health and Mass Media

¶ 01 (a) (i) Yes. Various health professionals have gone abroad for employment, studies and other reasons.

¶ 02 (ii) While some health professionals have gone overseas, continuous recruitments and trainings for all health cadres — medical, nursing, paramedical and supplementary — are being carried out to fill vacancies, and through ongoing human resource management, the health service is maintained continuously and properly. Further, to prevent a shortage of medical officers, the retirement age of all doctors has been extended to 63 years.

¶ 03 (b) (i), (ii), (iii) and (iv): Details are provided in Annex 01 (placed in the Library) covering: - Currently in service - Required for future proper service - Left service before retirement age (2022 to November 2024), including resignations, abandonment, leaving after 20 years of service, etc. - Currently in training (postgraduate local, postgraduate foreign, house officer training attached to hospitals, etc.)

¶ 04 (c) Steps include: - Upon completion of training of specialist doctors now overseas, assigning them to hospitals with vacancies - Rapid recruitment of grades of medical officers completing house officer training according to available vacancies - The 2019 nursing student intakes who have completed written and practical exams to be recruited in Q1 2025 to fill Central and Provincial vacancies - For supplementary medical services, approvals have been granted for recruitment to positions for which graduates have completed internship and orientation - For paramedical services, applications were called by Gazette of 2024.03.22; interviews held; eligible candidates will be recruited to training - Open and limited recruitments for minor and junior grades will proceed as per approvals

¶ 05 A challenge remains due to past recruitment patterns affecting transfers and deployment. We are establishing a clear process to address this.

¶ 06 (d) Question does not arise.