Hon. (Dr.) Pathmanathan Sathiyalingam

¶ 01 Thank you.

¶ 02 I am pleased to participate in today’s debate on the Ministry of Health and Mass Media. Sri Lanka’s health indicators are comparatively good among Asian countries, but COVID-19 in 2021–2022 and the economic crisis adversely affected health service delivery, compelling people to spend savings on health and reducing disposable income.

¶ 03 Universal Health Coverage should be pursued through a Primary Healthcare Approach, as advised by WHO. Health is not only a precondition for development but also an expression and measure of it. By 2050, our population will be about 25 million with increasing life expectancy and an aging demographic. Stroke, heart disease, and diabetes top causes of death; 74.8 percent of deaths are due to non-communicable diseases. We must further develop primary healthcare, prioritizing efficiency, equitable distribution, and access to improve health.

¶ 04 District issues:

¶ 05 - Vavuniya District General Hospital: To complete the Accident and Emergency Unit, an additional Rs. 600 million is required. Please allocate. Also, staff the newly built cardiac and renal units.

¶ 06 - With Dutch funding, special units were set up in Vavuniya, Mullaitivu, Kilinochchi, and Jaffna, but many are not fully functional due to staff shortages. Please address.

¶ 07 - Vavuniya has many chronic kidney disease patients. About 180 patients are on continuous dialysis; in 2024 alone, 12,000 dialysis slots were delivered. Patients also arrive from Medawachchiya, Mannar, and other areas. Please provide at least four more dialysis machines.

¶ 08 - Chettikulam Base Hospital covers a large area but lacks adequate facilities; laboratory services must be upgraded. Wastewater management is very poor; please intervene.

¶ 09 - Mullaitivu District General Hospital lacks a medical ward complex. In 2017, with Indian funding, it was initiated, but only soil testing happened by 2024; severe delays are attributed to ERD and other administrative bottlenecks. Please expedite personally.

¶ 10 - Mullaitivu Hospital has two board-certified consultants; appoint two more and upgrade to a full training hospital to improve service quality.

¶ 11 - Puthukudiyiruppu Hospital was upgraded to a base hospital in 2017, but cadre expansion has not followed. Please provide the required cadre.

¶ 12 - Pharmacists: Across Northern Province, 83 approved posts are vacant. In Mullaitivu, only 13 of 34 posts are filled, forcing minor staff to dispense medicines at small hospitals. Please fill pharmacist vacancies promptly.

¶ 13 - Mannar District General Hospital: A&E pre-works were done with Indian funding; please expedite. CT scanner is lacking; patients must go 90–150 km to Vavuniya or Jaffna. The CT room construction was done in 2020; please prioritize a CT scanner for Mannar this year.

¶ 14 - Iranai Iluppaikulam Hospital on the Vavuniya–Mannar border serves 50+ villages but remains a PMCU. As the Minister stated, upgrades should be science-based; please study and consider upgrading to a divisional hospital.

¶ 15 On Siddha/Indigenous medicine:

¶ 16 - The Lanka Siddha Ayurveda Medical College (established 1925) in the North, which has produced over 1,000 Siddha and traditional practitioners, is closed due to financial and administrative issues. Please bring it under the Indigenous Medicine administration and restart it.

¶ 17 - About 1,800 Ayurveda/Siddha/Unani graduates are unemployed; many work in unrelated posts or self-employment. Please arrange appointments accordingly.

¶ 18 - Medicines for Siddha are largely imported from India and are costly. Establish the first local Siddha pharmaceutical factory in the Northern Province, with funding support.

¶ 19 On drugs and rehabilitation:

¶ 20 - The Provincial Health Ministry established five alcohol and drug rehabilitation centers in the Northern Province (Rs. 32 million each), but most are not fully functioning due to staff shortages. Please address staffing.

¶ 21 - Thank you for initiating an Osusala outlet for Vavuniya; the people appreciate it.