Business

Call for urgent action by the Sri Lanka Women’s NGO Forum to alleviate the suffering of the people of Sri Lanka

Published

4 years ago

2022/04/21

Sri Lanka is in the grip of a collapsing economy causing immense suffering to its people.

Acute food, medicine and fuel shortages are crippling the day-to-day lives of the people giving way to despair and frustration and driving them to the streets to express their dissent against a government that has failed them. This crumbling economy if not salvaged with strategic thinking and wholesome planning for the future, will eventually bring the country and its people down to their knees. As in all crises, women are the worst affected with multiple roles they play on a daily basis, compelled to deal with long queues for gas, fuel and essential food items. Seven deaths in fuel queues (08/04) and the first death owing to lack of medicine have been reported.

Daily-wage earners and those dependent on micro, small and medium enterprises and other vulnerable, marginalized communities who live on the edge of acute poverty owing to their ethnic, religious, caste, gender and sexual orientation, are the worst affected by this ever-deepening crisis.

Most of these communities are still suffering from the effects of the trauma and tragedy of a conflict and war of over thirty years, the tsunami, Easter bombings and the Covid-19 pandemic.

These vulnerable communities are once again compelled to face another crisis.

Women shoulder numerous burdens – having to earn an income, unpaid care work as well as dealing with the struggles of their children who are already facing challenges in their education, deprived of the pleasures and joys of childhood. All these take their toll on women, their health and their mental wellbeing. The frustrations and fears faced by the families often get translated into acts of violence against women and children and inadequate support services which do not offer lasting solutions to women survivors of violence, almost always push women back to situations of recurrent violence in the home.

Let us keep in mind that this country is overwhelmingly dependent on women’s labour – through the plantation, garment and migrant labour sectors. Let us also keep in mind that women’s labour has been and continues to be exploited through their unpaid care work, lack of welfare facilities and redress mechanisms for rights violations including in their work environment.

Women’s spaces, freedom and aspirations have been curtailed through unfair social and economic practices. Women who contribute to the wealth of this country have the right to demand that their voices be heard.

We demand accountability from those who have been the cause of this plight of our country. We demand a healthy economic and political vision for our country which includes adequate investment in health, education and care services that would improve human productivity and the overall wellbeing of the people of Sri Lanka and urge reduced spending on defense.

We need solutions and interventions that take into account the pressing concerns of women, working people and the marginalised communities of our country, who make the majority of this country.

Call for urgent action:

1. Nominate women and men who have no allegations of corruption, hold a vision and a love for their country, to seats of authority. Appoint a minister of finance who has the relevant expertise in the field. Call for the immediate resignation of all political figures who have failed our country.

2. As an urgent measure, expedite the establishment of the National Commission of Women as proposed in the Sri Lanka Women’s Charter.

3. Strengthen the Samurdhi and Cooperative systems and increase budget allocations to these institutions to enable non-discriminatory distribution of essential ration items to all households.

4. Ensure immediate food security through:

a. imposing strict price controls on goods especially essential food items, kerosene and gas.

b. providing urgent support and subsidies to the farmer and fisher communities.

c. providing nutrition packages for pregnant and lactating mothers as per budget 2022, ensuring school midday meals programme and household level relief for children.

5. Take immediate State action to restore the smooth functioning of the Health sector with adequate supply of medicines, essential medical equipment, health products and reproductive health services throughout the country.

6. Set up urgent support schemes with efficient officers who are not corrupt who would offer their services without prejudice and discrimination and address issues of starvation, homelessness, destitution and all forms of violence against women. Ensure timely responses and a people centered approach at all times.

7. Utilize public revenue to set in motion social security programmes that would ease the present crisis.

8. Ensure equal representation of capable women who are themselves affected, in advisory boards, committees and in all planning measures that address the current crisis.

9. Above all – refrain from using state violence, threats and manipulations on peaceful protests and people’s spaces and urge all politicians to desist from inciting communal violence.

We urge all citizens’ collectives – women’s collectives, trade unions, student movements, religious institutions cooperatives, farmer & fisher collectives, NGOs, all professional bodies and progressive political movements to join us in our call for urgent action in addressing this nationwide humanitarian emergency that if left unattended will destroy our country and our future generations.

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Business

ComBank hands over fully refurbished wards at De Soysa Hospital for Women

Published

21 hours ago

2026/10/4

Thilina Walpola

Pictured here are the representatives of the Bank and senior officials of the hospital at the ceremonial handing over of the refurbished ward.

The Commercial Bank of Ceylon recently handed over Wards No. 03 and 04 of the De Soysa Hospital for Women, after the completion of a comprehensive renovation project launched in March this year to mark International Women’s Day.

Wards 03 and 04 handle a substantial share of the hospital’s patient load, and account for approximately 2,500 to 3,000 deliveries and 4,000 to 5,000 admissions annually. Their refurbishment was designed to significantly enhance patient care, safety and comfort, and directly benefit thousands of mothers and newborns.

Five Trustees of the Commercial Bank’s Corporate Social Responsibility Trust participated in the formal handing over of the refurbished wards to the hospital authorities. They were Sharhan Muhseen, the Bank’s Chairman, Raja Senanayake, Deputy Chairman, Sanath Manatunge, Managing Director/CEO, Hasrath Munasinghe, Chief Operating Officer, and Prasanna Indrajith, Chief Financial Officer.

Established in 1879, the De Soysa Hospital for Women is the first maternity hospital in Sri Lanka and the second oldest in Asia and is credited with, among others, performing the country’s first caesarean section in 1905 and establishing one of its earliest organised operating theatres in 1907.

The Commercial Bank’s Corporate Social Responsibility Trust, through which this project was implemented, has via its healthcare-related interventions supported more than 100 government hospitals with essential equipment and infrastructure, contributed to emergency medical services through the ‘Adopt an Ambulance’ initiative, and implemented targeted community health interventions such as water storage solutions for families affected by kidney disease.

Business

IIHS expands global nursing pathways

Published

22 hours ago

2026/10/4

Thilina Walpola

Dr. Renuka Jayatissa and Dr. Kithsiri Edirisinghe speaking to the media

The International Institute of Health Sciences (IIHS) Multiversity is expanding its international education programmes with the aim of creating overseas employment opportunities for Sri Lankan nurses and allied health professionals while contributing to foreign exchange earnings.

Speaking to the media during a conference at IIHS Multiversity in Kerawalapitiya, Dr. Kithsiri Edirisinghe, CEO, Co-Founder and Dean of IIHS aid that the institute has established academic partnerships with overseas universities and higher education institutions, including the University of Surrey in the UK, Deakin University in Australia, Metropolia University of Applied Sciences in Finland, Asia e University in Malaysia and SUNY Canton in the United States.

Under its ‘Study in Sri Lanka, Graduate to the World’ model, students can complete foundational and diploma-level qualifications locally before progressing to international top-up degrees or overseas employment.

Dr Edirisinghe said the model could substantially reduce the cost of obtaining internationally recognised qualifications. It estimates that completing a four-year bachelor’s degree at the University of Surrey in the UK would cost about USD 145,700, including tuition and living expenses, compared with about USD 27,750 through the IIHS pathway in Sri Lanka.

Dr Edirisinghe said the institute’s focus on overseas deployment addressed both Sri Lanka’s economic needs and the growing global demand for healthcare workers.

“Our winning model is producing job-ready, registration-ready healthcare professionals who can seamlessly enter foreign healthcare systems,” he said.

IIHS, which began operations in 2002 as the American College of Health Sciences, established its institutional base in Welisara in 2008 and launched its purpose-built greenfield multiversity campus in 2023.

The institute said it has upgraded the qualifications of more than 5,000 government nurses, supported over 2,500 youth on international employment pathways and trained more than 1,000 allied health professionals. It has also carried out over 250 community health projects.

The institute has identified Germany and Japan among its target markets, with pathways planned for 2,000 nurses for Germany and a one-year preparation programme linked to around 4,000 healthcare positions in Japan.

Dr. Renuka Jayatissa, Vice-Chancellor and a specialist medical doctor, said demographic changes and the growing burden of non-communicable diseases were changing healthcare requirements in Sri Lanka.

Business

Sampath Bank launches Sri Lanka’s first community-powered book discovery platform at Colombo International Book Fair

Published

22 hours ago

2026/10/4

Thilina Walpola

Sampath GPay customers can enjoy 25% cash back on Book Fair purchases

Sampath Bank PLC has launched Sampath Book Finder, Sri Lanka’s first community-powered book discovery platform, giving visitors to the Colombo International Book Fair a faster and more seamless way to find the books they are looking for across the fair’s 150+ stalls, while also opening up new opportunities to discover titles recommended by fellow readers.

Introduced on the opening day of the Colombo International Book Fair on 25 September, Sampath Book Finder brings together digital innovation and the collective knowledge of readers to address a familiar challenge at one of Sri Lanka’s largest literary gatherings, where the scale of the fair can make locating a particular title a time-consuming exercise. When a book proves difficult to locate, visitors can access bookfairtracker.com or scan the designated QR code and submit a request to the community, allowing readers who have already spotted the title to share its location and help others find it without having to search stall after stall.

Commenting on the initiative, Milinda Weerasinghe, Chief Marketing Officer, Sampath Bank PLC, said, “At Sampath Bank, we believe meaningful innovation begins by identifying everyday challenges and creating solutions that make a real difference. Sampath Book Finder brings this thinking to the Colombo International Book Fair by turning the collective knowledge of readers into a real-time digital solution, empowering them to find what they are looking for, discover something new and help others do the same, while making the overall experience more convenient and connected.”

The platform also turns book discovery into a shared experience, allowing visitors to recommend books they encounter by sharing the title, publisher, hall and stall number, which enables fellow readers to discover sought-after titles and recommendations while making it easier to locate them within the fair.

Sampath Bank’s longstanding association with the Colombo International Book Fair also continues in 2026, marking more than 20 years of partnership, with the Bank serving as the Official Banking Partner for this year’s fair. As part of its presence at the event, SampathCards offer 25% cashback for Sampath GPay customers on their purchases and 3 months 0% instalment plans for book purchases via Sampath credit cards, while visitors can also access banking services through the Bank’s physical presence at the fair. Customers registering to open selected Fixed Deposits at the premises will receive an additional 0.25%, adding further value and convenience for visitors.