Budget 2015 provides Rs 180 b to develop health sector

by Uditha Kumarasinghe

Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena told Parliament yesterday that Budget 2015 has provided Rs.180 billion to develop the health sector next year, a Rs.18 billion increase compared to the Rs.162 billion allocation this year.

The Minister who participated in the Committee Stage debate on the Expenditure Heads of the Health Ministry said that there was a significant improvement in the health sector recording the highest growth during the past 10 years.

Responding to remarks by UNP parliamentarian Sajith Premadasa, Minister Sirisena said that the 2003 Budget presented by the then UNP Government had allocated only Rs.36 billion for the health sector. The Ministry will give priority to funds allocated by Budget 2015 for prevention and treatment of diseases next year. The Government had also allocated Rs.2,020 million to increase the production of local drugs last year.The Minister said the WHO has recognised Sri Lanka as the number one country which maintains the best free health service in the region.

The Government, has followed a very transparent policy to develop the health sector.

The Minister said that when he assumed office as Minister of Health there were only 15,000 nurses in the health sector.

At present this has been increased to 35,000. Today there is a doctor for every 1,300 people and every 650 people have a nurse. Whatever allegations levelled by the Opposition, the Government has developed the health sector considerably.

After a lapse of 40 years, the National Drug Policy was presented to the Cabinet six months ago. The Minister said he hoped to present it to Parliament within the next few months.

At present malnutrition has dropped to 17 percent. The Ministry has implemented a series of programs to eradicate malnutrition from Sri Lanka. The Minister thanked the 225 parliamentarians who extended their support to him to include the pictorial warning on cigarette packets.

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