President Anura Kumara Dissanayake emphasised that the Government’s objective is to go beyond mere reforms and elevate Sri Lanka’s healthcare service to internationally recognised standards of quality, adding that the Government is prepared to allocate the necessary funding to achieve this goal.

The President made these remarks while participating in the pre-Budget discussion on the Ministry of Health and Mass Media, held on Wednesday (08)  afternoon at the Presidential Secretariat. The meeting reviewed the progress of projects implemented under the 2026 Budget allocations and discussed proposals for the 2027 Budget.

Progress of the programme to establish ‘Arogya Suwa Seva Centres’ to strengthen primary healthcare was reviewed during the discussion, and the President instructed officials to place greater emphasis on further strengthening primary healthcare services.

The meeting also reviewed, sector by sector, the progress of projects implemented under the Ministry of Health and Mass Media using 2026 Budget allocations, while funding requirements for 2027 were also discussed.

The President further instructed officials to submit, without delay, scientifically based strategic proposals aimed at improving the quality of Sri Lanka’s healthcare service.

Special attention was also paid to the technological transformation required within the hospital system. The President pointed out that establishing advanced technological facilities accessible to people across the country would significantly enhance the quality of healthcare services.

He noted that this would enable the State hospital system to provide efficient and standardised healthcare services while reducing the high costs incurred by the public when seeking treatment from the private sector.

Discussions also focused on strengthening the Suwa Seriya ambulance service and ensuring that hospitals procure only internationally compliant, fully equipped high-technology ambulances instead of conventional vans.

It was revealed that the current Government has recommenced 26 large-scale healthcare construction projects that had been suspended midway due to the previous governments halting capital expenditure. These include the five-storey building complex at the Monaragala District Hospital and Emergency Treatment Units at the Trincomalee, Ampara and Chilaw hospitals. In total, work is now under way on 48 healthcare construction projects.

The meeting also discussed technological solutions to address issues related to pharmaceutical procurement to ensure an uninterrupted supply of medicines to hospitals, expanding the Ministry of Health’s facilities for testing the quality of medicines, and programmes implemented with the support of organisations such as UNDP and UNICEF.

Progress on digital healthcare initiatives was also reviewed, including the Patient Health App, telemedicine services and the establishment of a National Electronic Health Record system, enabling patients’ medical records to be accessed from any hospital.

It was also decided to conduct a comprehensive review of the healthcare workforce, address issues faced by newly appointed doctors during the review process, and discuss recruitment-related issues concerning healthcare personnel with the Ministry of Finance.

The meeting further reviewed progress in providing physical resources to the Government Film Unit, journalist training programmes and the establishment of school media societies. Attention was also given to a proposal to establish a dedicated media operations centre to facilitate the exchange of information between the Government and all journalists.

The President also stressed the need to modernise the Department of Posts and the Government Printing Department by moving away from outdated systems and adopting modern technology.

Minister of Health and Mass Media Dr Nalinda Jayatissa, Deputy Minister of Mass Media Kaushalya Ariyarathna, Deputy Minister of Health Dr Hansaka Wijemuni, Secretary to the President Dr Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Chief of Presidential Staff Prabath Chandrakeerthi, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development Dr Harshana Suriyapperuma, Secretary to the Ministry of Energy and Senior Additional Secretary to the President Russell Aponsu, Senior Additional Secretary to the President Kapila Janaka Bandara, Secretary to the Ministry of Health and Mass Media Specialist Dr Anil Jasinghe, Director General of Health Services Dr Asela Gunawardena, and officials from the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Health and Mass Media attended the discussion.

[PMD]

Prison officers yesterday requested Justice and National Integration Minister Harshana Nanayakkara to protect their colleague who opened fire at the Negombo Prison during Monday’s riot.

They made that request when the Minister visited the Welikada Prison to pay his last respects to seven officers killed by inmates during the clashes. Soon thereafter, the National Hospital reported that another prison officer had succumbed to his injuries.

The Minister was told that the officer had opened fire through a small opening in the main door to prevent the rioting prisoners from escaping.

The Opposition has demanded to know who ordered the prisons officer to fire. The concerned officer’s colleagues told the Minister that had a breakout occurred the inmates would have posed a serious threat to the public.

Altogether, authorities transferred 1,033 inmates from Negombo to other prisons. Among them was Katuwellegama Suresh, who is alleged to have spearheaded Sunday’s attack on a group of prisoners that led to the following day’s clashes.

Executive Director of the Committee for Protecting the Rights of Prisons, Attorney-at-Law Senaka Perera told The Island that some of the transferred inmates had been mercilessly assaulted in other prisons.

Sources familiar with the situation at prisons said that they were able to accommodate between 11,000 to 12,000 inmates but over 40,000, both convicted and suspects were held in the country’s prisons. About 30,000 of them are suspects. Due to severe overcrowding, prison management had been compelled to accommodate both the convicts and suspects at the Negombo Remand Prison, sources said, adding that the clashes had erupted between the two groups.

Those who had been convicted were accused by the other group of passing information to the previous prison management resulting in elimination of narcotics and other banned items in the prison, sources said. They went on the offensive after both the administrator and the second-in-command were transferred separately and the authorities ignored the volatile situation and proceeded with routine work on Monday.

Sources said that the authorities were yet to release the exact number of convicts and suspects killed and wounded during clashes between the two groups and with prison staff. According to the Health and Media Ministry the total number of persons admitted to the National Hospital, following the incidents, were 29. Of them, 14 were inmates. The Ministry said that of the 29, 12 were in the intensive care unit.

Prof. Prathiba Mahanamahewa told The Island that the overcrowding of prisons should be carefully examined, taking into consideration that even some innocent people were held in various prisons. Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Act of No 41 of 2022 was being exploited and misused by law enforcement authorities to frame and arrest people. In terms of this law, those who had been framed couldn’t secure bail from the High Court but had to seek the intervention of the Court of Appeal. The lawyer explained how Section 54 of the Act was being used indiscriminately against people.

According to Mahanamahewa about 80 percent of those suspects held were on narcotic charges.

By Shamindra Ferdinando

Expressing concern over the death of prisoners, both convicts and suspects, as well as correctional officers, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka, Marc-André Franche has emphasised that ensuring that protection is a fundamental responsibility of the State.

Twenty prisoners and seven correctional officers were killed in clashes on Sunday and Monday. Over 100 received injuries.

Issuing a statement, the United Nations extended its condolences to the families affected by the tragedy and wished a speedy recovery to those injured.

Underscoring prison officials carried out challenging duties in service of the State, and the general public, the UN Resident Coordinator said that their loss was deeply felt. The UN also stressed that inmates who died, or were injured, were under the care and protection of the State, emphasising that both correctional officers and prisoners require greater protection. Ensuring that protection is a fundamental responsibility of the State, he said.

The UN statement highlighted the urgent need for continued investment and reform within Sri Lanka’s prison system.

It pointed to longstanding challenges, including overcrowding, outdated practices and poor conditions in detention facilities, which remain concerns in prison systems both in Sri Lanka and globally.

The UN said Sri Lanka’s engagement with international human rights standards, relating to the treatment, safety and wellbeing of persons deprived of liberty, provides an important framework for addressing these issues.

The United Nations welcomed the establishment of an independent committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding the prison violence and emphasised that the committee’s findings should lead to concrete and lasting improvements in detention conditions.

The UN also reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Sri Lanka through technical cooperation aimed at improving prison security, strengthening detention conditions, and supporting the welfare of correctional personnel.