The Hon. (Dr.) Ramanathan Archchuna

¶ 01 Sir, I am grateful for the opportunity to move the following Adjournment Motion, which relates to the implementation of the National Strategic Plan for Eye Health in Sri Lanka.

¶ 02 “The proposed National Plan envisions eliminating avoidable blindness and integrating primary eye care into a sustainable national programme aligned with WHO goals. Its objectives include achieving over 90 per cent cataract surgical coverage, expanding diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma screening, conducting annual school eye screenings, training primary health staff and upgrading hospitals with tele-ophthalmology and AI-assisted screening.

¶ 03 Implementation through the Ministry of Health, the National Programme for the Control of Blindness, and provincial health authorities will ensure coordination, monitoring, and data-driven interventions. Partnerships with NGOs, private sector, and WHO/IAPB are essential for financing and sustainability.

¶ 04 The Plan proposes a phased implementation over ten years, aiming for measurable outcomes including a 25 per cent reduction in avoidable blindness by 2030.

¶ 05 Therefore, this House urges the Ministry of Health to immediately adopt and operationalize the National Strategic Plan for Eye Health to ensure equitable access, strengthen preventive services, and protect the vision and quality of life of all Sri Lankans.”

¶ 06 Parliament must pay urgent attention to this Plan. Currently, blindness affects 1.7 per cent of adults over 40, mainly due to cataract, uncorrected refractive errors, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy and childhood blindness. The country faces a backlog of 1.5 million cataract surgeries due to ageing and rising diabetes.

¶ 07 Let me add more. About 1.7 per cent – 17 per 1,000 – are blind. Out of a population of 22.6 million, around 3.86 million have serious vision impairment. Annually, we perform around 150,000 cataract surgeries, but the target should be about 4,500 surgeries per million population; we are doing roughly 3,000 per million – a gap of 1,500 per million.

¶ 08 In the Northern Province, Dr. Malaravan, an eye surgeon, runs the only hospital in the country with no cataract backlog – you can get surgery the next day. But in the South, the backlog is about six months.

¶ 09 In January we submitted a proposal to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to establish a national eye health plan covering every hospital. In June, the Presidential Secretariat forwarded it to the Health Minister to take immediate action. As of this morning, nothing has been done. At the Sectoral Oversight Committee today, I asked the Secretary – my own senior – and he said nothing has been actioned. This is the problem: the President may have the will, but ministers must execute, and officials must act.

¶ 10 A private hospital in Colombo charges around Rs. 120,000–200,000 (USD ~400) for a cataract surgery. We need a national policy and a strategic plan to scale access, including tele-ophthalmology and AI screening. Deputy Minister, when will you reply to the letter and implement?

¶ 11 This Government came to power under one name – Anura Kumara Dissanayake – and many, including me, campaigned even in the North. Do not let implementation fail due to inertia or vested interests in the system.

¶ 12 I was abroad in Europe last month; note that a doctor there earns EUR 20,000 per month – we must reform and invest if we are to retain talent and deliver care.