Dr. Ariyaratne insists reform of health system must be thorough

“… work with honest doctors and administrators and take action against corrupt elements”

By Rathindra Kuruwita

Sri Lankan leaders were insensitive to the deterioration of the country’s healthcare system, Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA) President Dr. Vinya Ariyaratne said.

The entire healthcare system was in crisis, he added. A person who goes to a state hospital knows that there are no drugs, there are issues with the quality of drugs and that there are shortages of medical staff, he mentioned.

“If they cared, the changes made at the helm should have been made a few months ago. However, at least the President has appointed a new Health Minister. We hope that the new Minister and the government take immediate steps to address the pressing concerns of the sector.”

Dr. Ariyaratne said the state healthcare sector has not collapsed totally due to the dedication and resourcefulness of the medical staff.

“But individual commitment is not enough. The government must step in,” he added.

The procurement and regulatory mechanisms in the health sector have broken down. The reform processes with regards to drugs and food must be thorough, the SLMA President said.

“In the last few years, these mechanisms have broken down. If you have the right connections, you could bring any drug and insert it into the system without any problem. Political interference also played a big role.”

Dr. Ariyaratne said that for over a year the director board at the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) did not have the prescribed number of medical specialists. It was the SLMA that played a leading role in filling these vacancies.

“The NMRA act specifies that certain subject experts should be represented in the NMRA. This is to ensure that the drugs are safe. By not appointing the specialists, those in power had deliberately crippled the regulatory mechanism for drugs.”

The SLMA head said that some doctors are leaving the country because of the instability. There was a research on this by the University of Kelaniya which found most of the doctors that immigrated did so because they do not trust the leadership of the country.

“Even now most doctors are working under adverse circumstances. In 2022, the Gotabaya Rajapaksa government encouraged state sector employees to go abroad and that was a disastrous decision. This triggered the best people to leave,” he said.Dr. Ariyaratne urged the new Health Minister to work with honest doctors and administrators and take action against the corrupt elements of the medical sector.