The Hon. Harini Amarasuriya - Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees, the answers are as follows:

¶ 02 01. In terms of the President’s Fund Act, No. 7 of 1978, the composition of the Board of Governors is:

¶ 03 - His Excellency the President (ex officio) - The Hon. Prime Minister (ex officio) - The Hon. Speaker (ex officio) - The Hon. Leader of the Opposition (ex officio) - The Secretary to the President (ex officio) - Two other persons appointed by His Excellency the President.

¶ 04 Accordingly, the new Board of Governors for 2025 is: - H.E. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake - Hon. Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya - Hon. Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne - Hon. Sajith Premadasa, Leader of the Opposition - Dr. N. S. Kumanayake, Secretary to the President - Mr. Sarath Chandrasiri Mayadunne - Emeritus Prof. J. R. P. Jayakody

¶ 05 02. Yes. On the decision of the Board of Governors dated 2026.02.10, the medical grant ceilings have been increased.

¶ 06 The President’s Fund provides medical grants to defray a portion of the cost of surgeries/treatments. Due to the high costs prevailing (in recent years, grants covered less than 20 per cent on average), patients requested higher grant amounts.

¶ 07 Accordingly, a Committee comprising the Secretary of the President’s Fund, the Additional Secretary (Medical Services) of the Ministry of Health and Media, the Senior Assistant Secretary of the President’s Fund, the Chief Accountant of the President’s Fund and the Divisional Secretary, Homagama, studied the matter and recommended expansions of medical grant facilities based on comprehensive financial disclosure.

¶ 08 Taking into account these recommendations, with the objective of providing at least approximately 25 per cent of surgery/treatment costs as grants, the Board of Governors at its 606th meeting held on 2026.02.10 decided to increase grant amounts on a percentage basis.

¶ 09 03. Measures taken to simplify and decentralize services (effective from 2025.02.07):

¶ 10 - Decentralization: Applications can now be submitted through the applicant’s Divisional Secretariat instead of the Head Office in Colombo. - Digitization: A new IT system connects all Divisional Secretariats to the President’s Fund to transmit applications online to Head Office. - Simplified application: The previous 12-page complex form has been replaced with a 4-page form. - Declaration: Earlier, the affidavit had to be completed before a Justice of the Peace; now it can be certified by the Grama Niladhari. - Representative filing: Earlier, the patient had to submit in person; now an immediate caregiver can apply if the patient is incapacitated. - Income consideration: In assessing household monthly income, married children’s income is excluded and only 50 per cent of unmarried children’s income is considered. - Accessibility: Any suitable person identified by the Divisional Secretariat can apply. - Hotline: An instant helpline 0112347000 has been introduced for public inquiries.

¶ 11 04. Transparency measures:

¶ 12 - Applications routed via Divisional Secretariats and processed through the online system. - From 2025, quarterly meetings of the Audit and Management Committee are held; activities are audited annually by the Auditor-General and reports are tabled in Parliament. - Website updates to publish decisions from time to time and notify stakeholders. - Publication on the website of payable medical grant tariffs, hospital lists and guidelines. - Provision of information under the Right to Information Act upon request. - Operations guided by an annual activity plan.

¶ 13 Hon. Deputy Chair, though not directly related, I seek 30 seconds to make an important announcement. The Gazette for graduate recruitments has been published. We received requests to extend the time for candidates sitting the open competitive examination. Cabinet approval was obtained yesterday to extend the deadline to 05 March 2026. Accordingly, the valid date to obtain the degree has also been extended to 05 March 2026. I make this public as there is wide discussion.

¶ 14 Thank you.