Sri Lanka to expand primary health and modernise postal service

A review of projects implemented under the 2025 budgetary allocations for the Ministry of Health and Mass Media, along with a pre-budget discussion for 2026, was held yesterday (August 19) at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo under the patronage of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

The discussion examined allocations for 41 institutions under four departments of the Ministry and assessed the progress of related projects. The President instructed officials to give priority in the upcoming budget to strengthening primary healthcare services. He also reviewed the ongoing programme to develop Primary Health Centres, noting that while one centre currently serves 30,000 people, the plan is to improve access to one centre per 10,000 people.

The meeting also discussed organisational and structural reforms in the health service to align with current technological and social conditions. Issues related to construction work in the health sector were reviewed, along with the procurement of medical equipment. Updating procurement guidelines, including those for the Ayurvedic sector, was also considered. Plans to enhance the facilities of the National Medicines Regulatory Authority to ensure the quality of medicines purchased were presented.

The President instructed that essential vehicles for services such as the National Blood Transfusion Service be procured within this year. He stressed the need for transformation not only in physical resources but also in human resources, to meet the demands of technology and population growth. It was also revealed that a new National Health Policy and Strategic Plan will be launched next year.

The President highlighted the importance of effectively using foreign aid and grants to deliver benefits to the people and suggested resolving provincial-level issues through dialogue. He further called for a digital mechanism to verify the credibility of health-related donations for both donors and recipients. It was noted that the “Suwa Seriya” ambulance service, which currently operates in 272 locations, is expected to expand to 400 locations.

Future plans for the Ministry of Mass Media were also reviewed. The President emphasised that state media has a responsibility to shape social attitudes and instructed officials to present a plan to engage state media in this process, with budget allocations set aside. Extensive discussion was also held on modernising the Postal Service, with emphasis on integrating courier services and modern technology to create a new service model.

The President observed that past problems stemmed from insufficient budget allocations, but the most recent budget has provided adequate provisions. He stressed the need to properly utilise these allocations within the financial year to deliver maximum public benefit.

Minister of Health and Mass Media Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa, Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma, Secretary to the Ministry of Health and Mass Media Dr. Anil Jasinghe, Senior Additional Secretaries to the President Russell Aponsu and Kapila Janaka Bandara, and several senior officials of the Ministry were present.