News
With health staff increasingly contracting COVID-19, GMOA urges fast tracking of vaccine import
By Rathindra Kuruwita
Given that a large number of hospital workers had contracted COVID-19, the government was taking steps to fast track the import of a COVID-19 vaccine, the Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA) said yesterday.
It said the government should ensure that the vaccine was approved by the WHO, had a high rate of efficiency, least cases of side effects, suitable for the environment prevalent in the country and be affordable.
Dr. Senel Fernando, Secretary of the GMOA, said that the independent committees should be appointed and they should decide what vaccine should be imported and the reasons for their decision.
“The vaccine must also be registered with the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) and this should be expedited. A number of healthcare professionals are falling victim to COVID-19 and a number of others are in isolation as they are first contacts. Given this situation, human resources will be a limiting factor in the health sector soon. We need to take care of the frontline staff.”
Dr. Fernando noted that there was confusion about the import of vaccines with officials offering various opinions. People were told that several countries had offered help, but nothing concrete had come out as yet.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in a letter to the President of the People’s Republic of China, Xi Jinping has sought access to Chinese vaccine against COVID-19, the Foreign Ministry said last week. Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the People’s Republic of China Dr. Palitha Kohona has made this statement when he presented a copy of the credentials to Director General of the Department of Protocol Hong Lei at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China earlier this week.
Media has also reported that India has agreed to donate its locally manufactured vaccines against the COVID-19 for Sri Lanka’s frontline workers.
The Ministry of Industries and Entrepreneurship Development has recommended the establishment of Sri Lankan Standards, i.e. the import testing methodology for imported tires used for passenger cars and pneumatic tires for three-wheelers with the aim of ensuring a fair competitive environment for local
manufactures and ensuring consumer safety and security.
Taking into the said recommendations, “Import and Export (control regulations N0.08 of the 2026)” has been enacted to amend the existing regulations by means of the Extraordinary Gazette Notification No. 2508/27 dated 2026-10-01, prescribing Sri Lanka standard 1212 for the import of passenger types (HS Code 4011.10.90) and Sri Lanka standard 1347 for the import of
pneumatic tires for three – wheeled vehicles (HS Code 4011.90.10).
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the resolution furnished by the President in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development to submit the aforementioned regulations to Parliament for approval.
Approval of the Cabinet of Ministers was granted at their meeting held on 02.06.2025 to introduce a new act to promote and providing legal provisions for facilitating the Public Private Joint Enterprises within Sri Lanka as well as the establishment of the National Agency for Public Private Partnership Joint Enterprises.
Accordingly, the Legal Draftsman has formulated the relevant draft bill and the Attorney General has given his clearance to the said draft bill.
The Cabinet of Ministers approved the resolution furnished by the President in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development to publish the said
draft bill in the government gazette notification and thereby submit it to the Parliament for its concurrence.
Regulation, development and control of indigenous medical sector in Sri Lanka comprised of Ayurvedha, Sidhdha, Unani, Local Therapies are carried out under the provisions of Ayurvedha Act No. 31 of 1961.
Although amendments were made to the act from time to time as per the requirements, the necessity of further amending the Ayurvedha Act has been identified to enable efficiently maintaining all activities of local medical field productively, further formalizing the regulation of the sector, taking actions to providing licenses applicable to export of local medicines, and achieving the progress and sustainable development goals in the local medical sector.
Based on the said factors, the Cabinet of Ministers granted approval to the resolution furnished by the Minister of Health and Mass Media to direct the Legal Draftsman to formulate a draft bill to amend the Ayurvedha Act No. 31 of 1961.
Import and Export (Control) Regulations No. 08 of 2026
Draft Bill of the Public Private Partnership Enterprises Act to be gazzetted
Amendment of the Ayurvedha Act No. 31 of 1961
Cabinet nod to amend the Sri Lanka Development Administration Institute Act No. 9 of 1982
Establishment of the National Higher Performance Centre
State patronage for the cremation ceremony of the late deputy prelate (Anu Nayaka Thero) of the Sri Laka Ramangya Maha Nikaya, Gatambe Rajopawanramadhipatha, Siri Chandawimala Wanshalankara, Chandrakeerthi Sri Amarawansha, Sadhdharmawageeshwara, Shasanashobhanna Most Venerable Keppetiyagoda Siriwimalabhidhana Thero
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