Topic
Healthcare
895 speeches · 200 speakers
Party share
By the speaker's party · counts only, no scoring. "Unattributed" = speeches not resolved to an MP.
Most active on this topic
| # | Member | Speeches |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hon. (Dr.) Nalinda Jayatissa, M.P. JJB | 185 |
| 2 | Hon. (Dr.) Hansaka Wijemuni, M.P. JJB | 62 |
| 3 | Hon. (Dr.) Ramanathan Archchuna, M.P. Independent Group 17 - Jaffna | 50 |
| 4 | Hon. Sajith Premadasa, M.P. SJB | 25 |
| 5 | Hon. (Dr.) Nishantha Samaraweera, M.P. JJB | 18 |
| 6 | Hon. Thurairasa Ravikaran, M.P. ITAK | 17 |
| 7 | Hon. (Mrs.) Chamindranee Kiriella, Attorney at Law, M.P. SJB | 17 |
| 8 | Hon. (Dr.) Kavinda Heshan Jayawardhana, M.P. SJB | 14 |
| 9 | Hon. Gayantha Karunathilleka, M.P. SJB | 13 |
| 10 | Hon. (Mrs.) Rohini Kumari Wijerathna, M.P. SJB | 13 |
Speeches
895 on this topic- 6 March 2025 Hon. (Dr.) M.L.A.M. Hizbullah SLMC AI summary Hon. (Dr.) M.L.A.M. Hizbullah welcomed the Budget’s social welfare measures, especially for mother and child protection, and requested urgent health-sector support for the Eastern Province. He called for angiogram facilities at Batticaloa Teaching Hospital, citing long delays for patients sent to Jaffna, and sought a permanent MOIC, full doctor cadre, and commencement of the planned building for the Unani Teaching Hospital at Manchanthoduwai. He also urged completion of the central takeover of Pottuvil Hospital, provision of a lorry and ambulance, and appointments to vacant senior posts in the Eastern Province Ayurveda Department. He asked the Government to provide additional funding and support for health services in the war-affected Eastern Province, including Provincial Council hospitals. Appropriation Bill 2025 - Committee Stage: Ministry of Health and Mass Media Read →
- 6 March 2025 Hon. (Dr.) S. Sri Bavanandarajah JJB AI summary Hon. (Dr.) S. Sri Bavanandarajah commended the Budget allocation for free healthcare and acknowledged health workers’ contributions to Sri Lanka’s public health outcomes, while calling for stronger primary healthcare and better staffing of rural hospitals through clustering and resource sharing. He highlighted urgent infrastructure and service gaps in the North, including the long-delayed maternity and critical care units at Jaffna Teaching Hospital, under-equipped facilities at Kilinochchi Hospital, and specialist shortages at the Vavuniya cath lab. He also raised the need to address stray dog-related bite cases, operationalise planned hospital upgrades including making Jaffna Teaching Hospital a National Hospital and Tellippalai Cancer Hospital a specialised hospital, and reopen the Lanka Siddha Ayurveda College in Jaffna. Appropriation Bill 2025 - Committee Stage: Ministry of Health and Mass Media Read →
- 6 March 2025 Hon. Kins Nelson SJB AI summary Hon. Kins Nelson supported the Health and Mass Media Votes while urging targeted improvements to health infrastructure and staffing, particularly in Polonnaruwa District. He called for a high-tech national laboratory under the National Medicines Regulatory Authority to test imported and local medicines, citing concerns over substandard drugs, and requested maternity wards, mortuaries, anaesthesia facilities, and additional cadres for local hospitals, including the Polonnaruwa Kidney Hospital and Welikanda Hospital. He also raised deficiencies in Ayurveda hospitals, including safety threats, lack of water and quarters, staff transfers, and a proposal for an Ayurveda ward for monks. He tabled documents on homeopathic practitioners’ concerns regarding a Supreme Court judgment and on the Online Safety Act from the Sri Lanka Broadcasters’ Forum. Appropriation Bill 2025 - Committee Stage: Ministry of Health and Mass Media Read →
- 6 March 2025 Hon. G.G. Ponnambalam ACTC AI summary Hon. G.G. Ponnambalam paid tribute to the late M.P. Sivanesan and two Tamil media figures, then raised health-sector concerns in the Northern Province during the Health and Mass Media debate. He urged immediate action on Jaffna Teaching Hospital’s cadre approvals, infrastructure needs, and especially a new maternity unit, citing severe overcrowding and unsafe conditions, and requested the return or allocation of identified lands for the hospital’s expansion as a future national hospital. He also called for administrative restructuring and a dedicated allocation for the Tellippalai Trail Cancer Hospital, including a CT scanner, and asked that dispenser cadre shortages be addressed by converting positions to pharmacists where qualified pharmacists are available. Appropriation Bill 2025 - Committee Stage: Ministry of Health and Mass Media Read →
- 6 March 2025 Hon. M.L.A.M. Hizbullah SLMC AI summary Hon. M.L.A.M. Hizbullah noted a serious issue concerning an MRI machine and thanked the relevant authorities for addressing the matter. Appropriation Bill 2025 - Committee Stage: Ministry of Health and Mass Media Read →
- 6 March 2025 Hon. (Dr.) Nalinda Jayatissa - Deputy Minister of Health and Mass Media JJB AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Nalinda Jayatissa responded on facilities at Batticaloa Teaching Hospital, stating that an MRI machine will be supplied this year through an ADB-funded tender process and that the CT scanner has already been upgraded. He said a cath lab will be installed once construction of the Cardiology Unit is completed in about five months, and noted that the hospital’s LINAC had been upgraded under Phase I of the national project. Appropriation Bill 2025 - Committee Stage: Ministry of Health and Mass Media Read →
- 6 March 2025 Hon. (Dr.) Hansaka Wijemuni - Deputy Minister of Health and Mass Media JJB AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Hansaka Wijemuni said the Budget prioritises health sector infrastructure, human resources, medicines and equipment, and research, while also addressing retirees, vulnerable children, persons with mental health conditions, and prisoners. He outlined plans to improve staff and patient facilities, reduce surgical waiting lists using the Presidential Fund, strengthen health information systems, and ensure equitable hospital development based on national need. He said recruitments and training are being expedited after recent staffing shortages, and that the Budget increases basic salaries across health professions rather than relying on allowances. On medicines, he stated that 2025 orders had been secured, the 2026 tender cycle had begun, and weekly Drug Review Committee meetings and contingency arrangements were in place to anticipate and manage shortages. Appropriation Bill 2025 - Committee Stage: Ministry of Health and Mass Media Read →
- 6 March 2025 The Hon. Dayasiri Jayasekara, Attorney‑at‑Law SJB AI summary Hon. Dayasiri Jayasekara expressed appreciation to health sector workers across all systems of medicine, stating that their dedication underpins the sector’s achievements. While welcoming the Government’s announced salary increases for doctors and nurses through 2027, he said unresolved concerns remain, particularly regarding allowances, overtime, and disparities faced by doctors who often work longer schedules than other public servants. He urged that the issues raised by the Government Medical Officers’ Association and the Government Nursing Officers’ Association be addressed. Appropriation Bill 2025 - Committee Stage: Ministry of Health and Mass Media Read →
- 6 March 2025 The Hon. (Dr.) Elayathamby Srinath ITAK AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Elayathamby Srinath welcomed the 2025 Health allocation and national initiatives, but urged targeted development of Batticaloa Teaching Hospital, including provision of an MRI machine, cath lab and CT facilities. He highlighted shortages and infrastructure gaps in Eastern Province health services, including cadre shortages at Kattankudy and Valachchenai Base Hospitals, outdated public health vehicles, unresolved employment status of dengue suppression staff, and the need to upgrade rural hospitals such as Mahiladittivu. He also called for employment pathways in Siddha medicine, an oncology unit in Trincomalee, correction of birth and death registration arrangements linked to Valachchenai Hospital, and improved recognition and protection for journalists in Batticaloa and the North and East. Appropriation Bill 2025 - Committee Stage: Ministry of Health and Mass Media Read →
- 6 March 2025 The Hon. (Dr.) Sandaruwan Madarasinghe JJB AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Sandaruwan Madarasinghe defended the Government’s health allocation, citing over Rs. 406 billion for the sector and major investments in hospital buildings, CT and MRI scanners, cardiac units, oncology facilities, and trauma care. He contrasted these plans with alleged failures and irregularities under previous administrations, including the Tangalle ICU project, substandard eye drops linked to former Minister Keheliya Rambukwella, and problems in the PACS/RIS procurement. He acknowledged staff concerns over salaries and overtime ratios, but argued that the Budget had begun addressing health-sector remuneration and that further reforms would be pursued with health professionals. Appropriation Bill 2025 - Committee Stage: Ministry of Health and Mass Media Read →
- 6 March 2025 The Hon. (Mrs.) Rohini Kumari Wijerathna SJB AI summary Hon. Rohini Kumari Wijerathna stated that a Ministry-issued chart dated 27 February, which she tabled, showed that 333 medicines were out of stock. Her intervention highlighted the reported shortage of medicines based on official Ministry documentation. Appropriation Bill 2025 - Committee Stage: Ministry of Health and Mass Media Read →
- 6 March 2025 The Hon. (Dr.) Hansaka Wijemuni — Deputy Minister of Health and Mass Media AI summary The Deputy Minister of Health and Mass Media responded in the Minister’s absence, rejecting allegations made about medicines and the Ministry as false. He urged Members to verify technical matters with medical professionals and said he would address those issues in his speech. Appropriation Bill 2025 - Committee Stage: Ministry of Health and Mass Media Read →
- 6 March 2025 The Hon. (Dr.) Nihal Abeysinghe JJB AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Nihal Abeysinghe clarified that the 2017 initiative referred to family medicine training, while the current proposal is a primary care unit model. He stated that the proposed model would assign a designated family physician with responsibility for the registered community. Appropriation Bill 2025 - Committee Stage: Ministry of Health and Mass Media Read →
- 6 March 2025 The Hon. (Mrs.) Rohini Kumari Wijerathna SJB AI summary Hon. Rohini Kumari Wijerathna welcomed some Budget proposals in health, including estate hospital revival, autism support and thalassemia programmes, but urged that estate hospitals be brought under Government oversight and that autism screening be coordinated with the Education Ministry. She criticized the allocation of Rs. 20,000 million for SriLankan Airlines debt while health allocations and emergency unit improvements remained limited, and called for funds to be shifted toward regional hospitals, primary care, health and education. She raised concerns over reductions to overtime and holiday pay formulas for nurses and public health staff, medicine shortages including 333 out-of-stock items at the Medical Supplies Division, stalled procurement, and the need to restore stock-tracking systems, price controls and regulation of private hospital fees. She also said several initiatives presented as new, such as the family doctor model and health checks, originated under earlier programmes, and highlighted acute specialist shortages in hospitals. Appropriation Bill 2025 - Committee Stage: Ministry of Health and Mass Media Read →
- 6 March 2025 The Hon. (Dr.) Nalinda Jayatissa JJB AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Nalinda Jayatissa responded to issues raised regarding Mannar District General Hospital, stating that work to establish an Emergency Treatment Unit is underway with Indian Government support and is expected to be expedited. He said a paediatric specialist is being seconded from Chavakachcheri to Mannar, while the request for a CT scanner will be considered though no immediate delivery date can be promised. He also indicated he would visit Mannar General Hospital on 26 March and invited participation. Appropriation Bill 2025 - Committee Stage: Ministry of Health and Mass Media Read →
- 6 March 2025 The Hon. Amirthanathan Adaikkalanathan DTNA AI summary Hon. Amirthanathan Adaikkalanathan raised urgent deficiencies at Mannar District General Hospital, including the absence of permanent consultants despite an approved cadre of 24, lack of a CT scanner, no Accident and Emergency Unit, and the recent absence of a paediatrician, all of which force patient transfers to other districts. He requested that the Health Ministry or Deputy Minister visit the hospital and prioritize remedies, while acknowledging the service of doctors working under difficult conditions. On media, he called for a housing scheme for journalists, investigations into murdered journalists such as Sivaram, and effective mechanisms to address defamatory online content, including where platforms operate from abroad. Appropriation Bill 2025 - Committee Stage: Ministry of Health and Mass Media Read →
- 6 March 2025 The Hon. V.S. Radhakrishnan SJB AI summary Hon. V.S. Radhakrishnan urged the Health Ministry to upgrade hospitals in Nuwara Eliya District, particularly Dickoya, Maskeliya and Nuwara Eliya General Hospital, citing unchanged cadres, inadequate facilities, ambulance shortages and pressure from accidents and Sri Pada pilgrims. He called for estate hospitals to be brought under Government control and integrated into the national health system, with qualified medical staff appointed, and highlighted plantation health problems linked to line-room housing, malnutrition, poor sanitation, lack of safe drinking water and transport barriers. He also proposed coordinated action across relevant ministries, resumption of nutrition support such as Triposha, provision of restrooms for estate workers, and Government assistance for Tamil journalists facing welfare and housing difficulties. Appropriation Bill 2025 - Committee Stage: Ministry of Health and Mass Media Read →
- 6 March 2025 The Hon. S.M. Marikkar SJB AI summary S.M. Marikkar urged the Government to act against alleged corruption in the health sector under the previous administration, including the supply of adulterated medicines, and to disclose accountability details relating to the forced cremation of COVID-19 victims, particularly Muslims, during the Gotabaya Rajapaksa Government. He questioned the financial viability and competitiveness of state media institutions, calling for improved programming, marketing plans, higher advertising market share, VAT compliance, and a path to profitability while maintaining public responsibilities. He also called for the repeal and comprehensive revision of the Online Safety Act through consultations with journalists, media institutions and experts, arguing that the existing law is being used against media and political opponents. Appropriation Bill 2025 - Committee Stage: Ministry of Health and Mass Media Read →
- 6 March 2025 The Hon. Mujibur Rahman SJB AI summary Mujibur Rahman criticized the conduct of debate around health-sector trade union action, urging the Government to avoid personal or “Rajapaksa-style” political attacks and to address underlying salary and service issues. He called for a formal Ministry investigation into the death of three-year-old Hamdi Fasleem following surgery at Lady Ridgeway Hospital, citing medical records, alleged contradictions in doctors’ statements, and unanswered requests to former Health Ministers. He also disputed official claims about nurses’ basic pay and promotion structures, requested review of alleged overpricing in 2022–2023 medical procurements, and urged accountability for companies and officials involved. On mass media, he asked the Government to repeal the Online Safety Act immediately and consult stakeholders before introducing any replacement legislation. Appropriation Bill 2025 - Committee Stage: Ministry of Health and Mass Media Read →
- 6 March 2025 The Hon. Chanaka Madugoda SLPP AI summary Hon. Chanaka Madugoda supported the Health and Mass Media allocations, commending planned digitalization and primary care strengthening while urging better use of funds to reduce queues, improve prevention, and lower emergency health costs. He called for expanded postgraduate medical training to address staff and specialist shortages, increased local pharmaceutical production, expanded OPD capacity, and measures to reduce waiting lists for critical surgeries. He specifically requested repairs to the cath lab machine at Galle National Hospital and attention to health facilities in the Galle district, including Udugama, Balapitiya, Habaraduwa, and Imaduwa. He also asked the Government to consider support for independent journalists through equipment access and credit facilities. Appropriation Bill 2025 - Committee Stage: Ministry of Health and Mass Media Read →