Hon. (Dr.) Hansaka Wijeyamuni

¶ 01 We also intend to fully equip the apex hospitals with all the facilities required to provide proper health services. Patients have nowhere to go beyond that level. There is also a major issue with human resources in hospitals. The problem of professionals leaving the country persists. While we pay our respect and gratitude to those who remain, we are identifying their real issues and implementing processes to resolve them. We are taking steps to remove barriers to human development, especially obstacles to education in different fields, ensuring opportunities for everyone to advance in their fields and studies.

¶ 02 At this time, there is an acute shortage of physical resources required for hospitals. We are taking all necessary measures to bridge that gap.

¶ 03 Regarding medicines, after the economic crisis there were major problems operating the supply network to hospitals. As a Ministry, and also through the efforts of individual Ministers, we have maximally intervened. The committees related to pharmaceuticals used to meet only once in several months. In the past two months, we have met weekly or even twice a week to review and expedite matters. We are making our best effort to prevent and minimize shortages and stock-outs.

¶ 04 For the first time in Sri Lanka’s history, we have calculated the required quantities of medicines for the next year—2026—and already initiated the tender process. We expect that by 2026 there will be no issues related to medicines and that the supply chain will flow very smoothly.

¶ 05 There are several institutions dealing with medicines such as the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA), the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation (SPC), and the State Pharmaceuticals Manufacturing Corporation (SPMC). We have examined them individually and taken necessary actions. We thank the leadership and especially the staff of these institutions for working tirelessly around the clock. For example, in institutions like SPC, during the past month staff exceeded expectations and worked 246 hours so that purchase orders required for 2026 have already been provided. This is the first time in Sri Lanka’s history such a thing has happened. Despite severe shortages of human resources in these institutions, we have put in place the mechanisms and provided the provisions required to recruit and strengthen capacity.

¶ 06 Although the NMRA was established 10 years ago, for the first time we have set up a National Advisory Council and an Appeals Committee. We have also established the necessary pricing mechanisms to regulate medicines in the private sector, especially pharmacies. In our pharmaceutical sector there are some products that are not very effective, yet we spend millions on them. The Price Control Committee existed historically but remained inactive; we have taken steps to re-establish and activate it.

¶ 07 Within our Ministry, some good projects have been suppressed due to political interference. For example, national programmes to prevent avoidable blindness were halted due to personal whims of some former Health Ministers. We are restarting such programmes. Because avoidable blindness was not averted, about 2 percent of those who became blind in Sri Lanka did so unnecessarily—a very high figure.

¶ 08 Generally, there are issues in our hospitals. Many people are reluctant to go to a hospital, not because they dislike seeking care, but because the experience is not satisfactory. When going to hospital they do not know if they will even get a bed; there are questions about the quality of items used for treatment. As a Government we are making maximum effort to standardize treatment methods into protocols acceptable across Sri Lanka. We have empowered professionals to formulate these clinical protocols. We have ensured 100 percent safety of medicines.

¶ 09 There were weaknesses in institutions like the NMRA. We know about issues related to medicines such as human immunoglobulin. We have taken all necessary measures to ensure such problems do not recur, strengthening the systems and legal frameworks.

¶ 10 Every patient coming to a hospital should have a bed. The real issue is administrative. Sri Lanka’s overall bed occupancy averages around 65 percent even on peak days, yet hundreds of patients are lying on the floors of major hospitals. Therefore, we are introducing a bed management system and appointing a bed manager to every hospital. We believe that, under our Government, when citizens fall ill, we can provide a more advanced, safer and higher-quality health service.

¶ 11 We ask all Members from both Government and Opposition to unite on this matter. Let us together raise our health indicators further and ensure a higher-quality life for our people with a longer lifespan. Thank you very much.