The Hon. (Dr.) Hansaka Wijemuni

¶ 01 In fact, for the Ministry of Health, our foremost task is to control rabies. Currently 20–30 people die annually in our country due to rabies; about 20 years ago it was about 300. Comparable countries like Thailand have reduced it to one or two per year; many Latin American countries have brought it to near zero. They achieved this by controlling animal populations and proper vaccination. Therefore, we need to streamline vaccination.

¶ 02 We spend a considerable amount on stray dog management: around Rs. 280 million annually on human post-exposure treatment, Rs. 180 million on vaccinating animals, and about Rs. 200 million on sterilization. Total Health Ministry spending in this area is about Rs. 800 million per year. We must consider cost-effectiveness, review the program, and fix deficiencies. Even though Rs. 200 million is spent on sterilization, we must ask whether the outputs are adequate—if not, dogs will be everywhere. Even Parliament has had stray puppies entering, showing the ubiquity of the issue. Hence we also emphasize the need for a more systematic national program that goes beyond the Ministry’s subject purview.