The Hon. (Dr.) Nalinda Jayatissa

¶ 01 Hon. Member, despite disturbances from other matters, I thank you for repeatedly drawing the House’s attention to this. Successive Governments, including the present one, have focused on children with neurodevelopmental disorders including autism. Beyond treatment, special programmes are needed for caregiving. In the 20 hospitals mentioned, treatment protocols are in place. The identified gap is the need for an inter-ministerial coordinated pathway beyond treatment—caregiving requires not only the Ministry of Health but also coordination with several ministries, notably Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment, and the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs.

¶ 02 The President has taken note; through the Budget we are improving treatment centres and increasing protective care centres. At LRH, groundwork has begun to establish a dedicated centre for this purpose with funds allocated. Moreover, instead of operating through routine directorates and units, we are preparing to establish a dedicated unit under the Family Health Bureau within the Ministry of Health focusing on autism and related conditions. Multiple teams, including paediatric specialists, are engaged; with better coordination we intend to accelerate work. We recognize the heavy burden on parents and are focusing Government attention accordingly.