The Hon. Thurairasa Ravikaran

¶ 01 asked the Minister of Health and Mass Media:

¶ 02 (a) Will he inform this House— (i) the names of the medical centres which provide services of Siddha medicine in each of the districts of Mullaitivu, Mannar and Vavuniya, separately; (ii) the number of vacancies currently existing for indigenous doctors in each of the said districts, as per the approved cadre of those medical centres, separately; (iii) whether he is aware that there is a shortage of indigenous doctors in the said three districts while there is a surplus of such doctors in the other parts of the Northern Province; (iv) if so, the immediate measures that will be taken to fill the vacancies existing in the Vanni District for indigenous doctors so that the people of the said district could properly access the indigenous medical service; and (v) whether steps will be taken for the expansion of the medical profession by transferring surplus doctors from other areas to the above-mentioned districts expeditiously, where there are many vacancies, until new appointments are made? (b) If not, why?