2024-06-26
News Categories : Committee News
The Caucus of Medical Parliamentarians Sri Lanka appreciated the steps taken by the Ministry of Health to reduce the shortage of drugs in Sri Lanka.
The Caucus of Medical Parliamentarians Sri Lanka, under the Chairmanship of its Chair Hon. (Prof.) Channa Jayasumana, met in Parliament recently (Jun. 18). The Government Medical Officers' Association, the Secretary to the Ministry of Health and the Director General of the Department of Health Services were called before this meeting to discuss whether there is a shortage of medicines in Sri Lanka and the health worker transfer policy.
The Government Medical Officers' Association pointed out that a survey conducted in various hospitals of the island confirmed that the shortage of drugs in Sri Lanka has decreased compared to the past. However, they pointed out that the shortage of medicines in some hospitals is due to the lack of storage facilities, distribution and transportation facilities.
It was discussed during the Committee that due to the policies pertaining to the transfers of doctors, they have to face various difficulties and due to this, doctors who go abroad for further training do not return to their country. Due to this, the specialist doctors in many hospitals have to work overtime, and therefore the need to provide additional allowances to the doctors assigned to work in the outlying districts was also taken into consideration.
The Caucus Chair, who requested the Ministry of Health to pay special attention to this matter, appreciated the efforts of the Ministry of Health and the Department of Health Services to reduce the shortage of medicines.
The Committee members also pointed out that there is a need to implement a special payment system to avoid the losses caused by doctors leaving the country.
Minister of Health Hon. (Dr.) Ramesh Pathirana, State Minister Hon. (Dr.) (Mrs.) Seetha Arambepola, Members of Parliament Hon. (Dr.) Rajitha Senarathne, Hon. (Prof.) Tissa Vitarana, Hon. (Dr.) (Mrs.) Sudarshini Fernandopulle, Hon. (Dr.) Thilak Rajapakshe, Hon. (Dr.) Kavinda Heshan Jayawardhana, Hon. (Dr.) Upul Galappaththi were present at the Committee meeting held.
2026-06-19
The Ministerial Consultative Committee on Environment focused its attention on the issue of water pollution in the Kelani River when it met in Parliament recently (10th June) under the chairmanship of the Hon. Minister of Environment, Dr. Dammika Patabendi.During the meeting, the Committee was briefed on the progress of discussions being held with companies that have expressed willingness to invest in a project aimed at cleaning the waters of the Kelani River.The Committee also discussed a number of proposals and other issues raised by Hon. Members of Parliament.The meeting was attended by Hon. Members of Parliament and officials.
2026-06-18
A meeting of the Women Parliamentarians Caucus was held in Parliament recently to discuss the importance of incorporating Gender-Responsive Budgeting into Sri Lanka’s national budget formulation process and to examine the challenges associated with its implementation.The meeting was chaired by the Chairperson of the Caucus and Hon. Minister of Women and Child Affairs, Saroja Savithri Paulraj. Hon. Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya also participated in the discussion.A key concern raised during the discussion was the lack of adequate data and indicators to accurately assess and measure women’s economic contributions within the budgetary process. Drawing on examples of approaches adopted in India and other countries, members of the Caucus underscored the need to identify and address existing systemic and technical gaps in Sri Lanka’s budgeting framework.The Caucus also emphasized the importance of disaggregating data by gender in project reporting and strengthening digital data management systems to support such efforts. It was further noted that identifying relevant gender-related considerations at the initial stages of project design and implementation at the ministerial level would facilitate more effective project analysis, monitoring, and evaluation of outcomes.The need to move away from existing traditional and time-consuming methods towards formal online systems and data-driven analytical tools was also emphasized.The current progress and challenges in integrating Gender-Responsive Budgeting into Sri Lanka’s public financial policy were discussed in detail during the meeting.It was also emphasized that such budgeting should not be limited to nominal percentages in documents, but that the need to establish a formal framework and data system to ensure it has a real and practical impact was also highlighted.The Hon.Deputy Chairperson of Committees Hemalee Weerasekera, Hon. Deputy Minister Dr. Kaushalya Ariyarathne, Co-Vice Chairpersons of the Caucus, Hon. Members of Parliament Chamindrani Kiriella, Attorney at Law and Samanmalee Gunasinghe, Hon. Members of Parliament Thushari Jayasinghe, Attorney at Law, Krishnan Kaleichelvi, Sagarika Athauda ,Attorney at Law, Nilanthi Kottahachchi, Attorney at Law, Ambika Samivel and Lakmali Hemachandra, Attorney at Law, along with a group of officials from the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, also participated in the event.
2026-06-17
The Ministerial Consultative Committee on Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government met recently (Jun. 12) at Parliament under the chairmanship of the Hon. Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government, Prof. A.H.M.H. Abayarathna.During the meeting, Members of Parliament discussed a range of issues and proposals relating to their respective electorates, as well as several other matters of public importance.Hon. Members of Parliament and officials were present at the meeting.
2026-06-17
The Ministerial Consultative Committee on Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs met recently (Jun. 09) at Parliament under the chairmanship of the Hon. Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs, Dr. Hiniduma Sunil Senevi.During the meeting, Members of Parliament discussed a number of proposals and issues, including reviewing the progress of discussions initiated with the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education and the Department of Examinations regarding the formulation of regulations to prevent the conduct of private tuition classes on Sunday mornings, thereby facilitating the holding of Dhamma School classes on Sundays.The meeting was attended by Hon. Deputy Ministers, Hon. Members of Parliament and officials.
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