The Hon. (Dr.) Ramanathan Archchuna

¶ 01 Good afternoon, my dear colleagues and senior politicians in this House!

¶ 02 First, one matter in Tamil: yesterday Minister Chandrasekera called me a “dog.” I have a saying for him—someone please explain it to him. Even if you take a dog to mid-sea, it will still lap the water; that is all he will understand.

¶ 03 Now to the matter. If someone on your government side makes a mistake, I am ready to accept reasonable points. Looking at the Budget: total expenditure is Rs. 8,835 billion; revenue is Rs. 4,590 billion; hence Rs. 4,245 billion must be found—this is the basic outlook. Grants from abroad are Rs. 93 billion. So, due to past mistakes, this government must now find income; that is the truth.

¶ 04 The State Minister of Health responded to Hon. Rohini Wijerathna saying “she lied.” I have her list; if you want it, ask. As a doctor, I am ready to reply on behalf of the Opposition—but I will not insult you as you insulted her.

¶ 05 This government came saying it would end corruption. Yet in 2025 the Health Ministry’s travelling expense is Rs. 475 million; it was Rs. 405 million in 2024 and Rs. 361 million in 2023—so it is higher now, though someone here claimed they “reduced expenses.”

¶ 06 You say you allocated more for health than defence. Let us see: Defence recurrent is Rs. 382 billion; capital Rs. 60 billion; total Rs. 442 billion. Under Ranil in 2024 it was Rs. 430 billion; in 2023, Rs. 382 billion. Health got Rs. 343 billion in 2023 under Ranil, then a 25 percent increase in 2024. Compared to 2024, you have increased health by only 9 percent for 2025. I am no praise-singer for Ranil, but a government that toppled the previous one should do better for the people.

¶ 07 Why do you mock “North and East”? I am from the North. A Minister said, “Take your games to the North.” You have appointed an unqualified Minister who cannot even read properly. The total health allocation is Rs. 508.5 billion; to the North you have given only Rs. 610 million. For an ETU in Trincomalee Hospital, Rs. 200 million. In Jaffna, the allocation is just 0.119 percent of the Ministry’s spending. For the East, 0.18 percent—a pittance. If you want the calculations, come; I will teach you.

¶ 08 Revenue from alcohol, tobacco and casinos feeds the Treasury. Tobacco brings only about Rs. 130 billion in tax, while health spending is over Rs. 500 billion. You import and distribute goods for people but allocate little to health.

¶ 09 An MP’s monthly income is about Rs. 400,000. There are 159 government MPs; over five years, Rs. 3,850 million will be spent on your salaries. If you came to save the country, donate that Rs. 3,850 million to the nation. This year you expect Rs. 10 billion as vehicle import taxes from doctors; if you give Rs. 3.1 billion of your own, our doctors could import their vehicles. But the licence fee alone is about Rs. 1 billion—again playing with people’s money.

¶ 10 To produce a doctor takes seven years MBBS, plus six more, plus waiting after A/Ls and pre-internship—fifteen years. The state spends about Rs. 15 million per doctor. Last year alone, 2,400 doctors left; consultants are even more valuable. Due to wrong economic policies, the loss is Rs. 36 billion. If 5,000 more leave this year—as the Leader of the Opposition said—the loss will be Rs. 75 billion. Consider also the exodus of lecturers, professors and other intellectuals.

¶ 11 In the North and East—especially Jaffna—the health sector is struggling. In Mannar, a mother named Sindhuja admitted with postpartum haemorrhage died because the doctor did not examine her in time; when I went to see the child, the then Ranil government detained me for five days under the PTA. To date, there is no justice for Sindhuja’s family. Another child, Vaishalini, had her hand amputated; the Ministry of Health has not shown concern.

¶ 12 On education: Bhiksu University receives Rs. 785 million; Buddhist and Pali University Rs. 1,030 million—Rs. 1,815 million for those two. Jaffna Public Library gets only Rs. 100 million—just 5.5 percent of what you give to Buddhist institutions—yet the President boasts of allocating to Jaffna Library. We are not fools; I have the figures.

¶ 13 For universities, the total is Rs. 85,700 million: Jaffna University Rs. 5,350 million; Eastern University Rs. 2,550 million; Trincomalee Campus Rs. 1,125 million; Vavuniya University Rs. 1,340 million. Thus, the North gets only about 8.2 percent of total university allocations. The East has also been slighted with just about 4–5 percent, seemingly because they did not vote for you.

¶ 14 You say there are 21 doctors on your side. I have one question—if the Health Minister or Deputy Minister has a spine, please answer. In the “Proposal for Major Public Investment Projects, 2025–2027,” many billions are shown, but there are no projects for hospitals in the North or East. “Upgrading health facilities in selected hospitals”—15 billion—none for North or East. “Health System Enhancement Project (ADB) – additional funding 35 billion”—none for North/East. “Health and Medical Service Improvement – JICA – 16 billion”—none for North/East. Even for the Health Ministry building—your previously failed project—you have another Rs. 16 billion. The Deputy Minister rose, but I do not wish to embarrass him. Thank you.