News

WHO commends Lanka’s health care system

Published

2 years ago

2021/06/29

Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena receiving newly appointed representative of the WHO to Sri Lanka Dr. Alaka Singh

Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena received the newly appointed representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) to Sri Lanka Dr. Alaka Singh on Friday at the Ministry.Welcoming Dr. Singh to Sri Lanka, Minister Gunawardena recalled the close cooperation between Sri Lanka and the WHO, being the very first UN agency to be established in Colombo in 1952.He appreciated the WHO’s assistance to Sri Lanka during the COVID- 19 pandemic, and requested continued support in securing COVID- 19 vaccines to the people of Sri Lanka. Minister Gunawardena also recalled that Sri Lanka was among the first countries that stood in strong solidarity with the WHO in its efforts towards addressing the COVID- 19 challenges.While appreciating Sri Lanka’s solidarity with the organization, representative of WHO Dr. Singh assured the continued collaboration of the WHO in both addressing the COVID–19 pandemic as well as in ensuring the sustainable delivery of other health care services during this period.

She commended Sri Lanka’s excellent health care system producing impressive health care indicators and the country’s standing as an example to other countries in the region.The representative of WHO to Sri Lanka Dr. Singh assured WHO’s assistance in securing COVID – 19 vaccines to Sri Lanka, and also in the post COVID- 19 recovery phase. She expressed hope that the availability of vaccines would increase significantly in the 3rd quarter of this year. Minister Gunawardena said that Sri Lanka looked forward to collaborating with the WHO among other things, to enhance the capacities of the health care system and research facilities in the Sri Lankan universities.

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Stay on course and don’t go back to the past – Dr Indrajit Coomaraswamy

Published

4 hours ago

2023/03/24

Priyan

Former Governor of the Central Bank delivering the keynote address at a high profile Webinar hosted by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka today (24) said that Sri Lanka must implement the structural reforms proposed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) without relaxing like in the past or else we will be in a deeper economic mess.

The webinar was titled ‘What is next for Sri Lanka in the wake of the IMF programme’

News

Sustainable economic development goals cannot be achieved unless attention is paid to mitigating climate change – Sagala Ratnayake

Published

4 hours ago

2023/03/24

Priyan

President’s Senior Adviser on National Security and Chief of Presidential Staff Sagala Ratnayake said sustainable economic development goals cannot be accomplished without taking steps to mitigate climate change.

He said this while participating in the 10,000 sapling planting program organized by the LEO Youth Vision 2048 Club and the LEO Club at the Royal College, Colombo on Thursday (23rd).

This program was organized in view of President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s birthday, which is today (24), and the required plants were distributed to the main schools of the Colombo District.

News

SF claims thousands of police and military personnel leaving

Published

16 hours ago

2023/03/24

Thilina Walpola

By Saman Indrajith

Thousands of police and military personnel had left the services recently as they did not want to carry out illegal orders, Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka told Parliament yesterday. According to the war-winning army commander 200 policemen have resigned during the past two months and 25,000 soldiers have left the army during the last two years.

“We urged the law enforcement and military officials not to follow illegal orders. We will reinstate them with back pay,” he said.

Fonseka also urged the President and the government MPs not to take people for fools.

“Sri Lanka owes 55 billion dollars to the world. Ranil’s plan is to borrow another seven billion during the next four years. So, in four years we will owe 62 billion to the world.

Ranil and his ministers ask us what the alternative to borrowing is. These are the people who destroyed the economy and society. They must leave. Then, we will find an alternative and develop the country,” he said, adding that the IMF loans had made crises in other nations worse.

“Ranil says that by 2025, we will have a budget surplus as in Japan, Germany and South Korea. These countries are economic power houses, and this comparison is ludicrous.”