2026-03-24
Deputy Minister of Health, Hon. (Dr.) Hansaka Wijemuni, stated that disability should be viewed not only from a medical perspective but also from social and human rights perspectives. He made these remarks while participating in an awareness programme on service delivery for persons with disabilities, held on 20th March 2026, at the auditorium of the National Epilepsy Centre of the National Hospital of Sri Lanka (NHSL).
Although Sri Lanka has made some progress in this area compared to other countries in the region, he noted that persons with disabilities still face numerous physical, communication, and attitudinal barriers when accessing healthcare services. He emphasized that the government is committed to implementing necessary policy changes to identify social barriers, enhance awareness, and bring about attitudinal change. He also highlighted the importance of providing health information in multiple accessible formats for persons with disabilities.
The Deputy Minister further stressed the importance of systematically sensitizing healthcare staff to deliver services based on equality and dignity, going beyond the traditional medical model. He also appreciated the contribution made by the Parliamentary Caucus for Persons with Disabilities in this regard.
This programme was the second in a series of awareness programmes conducted at the ministry level as part of the action plan of the Parliamentary Caucus for Persons with Disabilities. The workshop aimed to educate officials on inclusive service delivery within the health sector and was organized by the Caucus with the support of the Australian Government and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES).
Chairman of the Parliamentary Caucus for Persons with Disabilities, Hon. Member of Parliament Sugath Wasantha de Silva, stated that this series of awareness programmes is a step towards ensuring an “unrestricted social life” for persons with disabilities. While appreciating the country’s free healthcare system, he pointed out that more than 1.6 million persons with disabilities in Sri Lanka still face physical and attitudinal barriers in accessing healthcare services. He emphasized that access to healthcare is a fundamental right linked to the right to life.
He further proposed that a new perspective on disability, along with a specialized module, should be included in the curricula of medical and nursing colleges to ensure that future healthcare professionals are sensitized from the early stages of their training.
Deputy Co-Chair of the Caucus, Hon. Member of Parliament (Dr.) Pathmanathan Sathiyalingam, President of the Disability Organizations Joint Front (DOJF), Ashoka Weerawardena, Professor Chamari Weeraratne of the Department of Pharmacology, University of Colombo, Deputy Director General of Health Services (Public Health), Dr. Vindya Kumarapeli, Director of the Youth, Elderly and Persons with Disabilities Unit of the Ministry of Health, Dr. Nishani Ubeysekara and representatives of the disabled community also shared their views.
Several key issues were raised during the discussion, including the lack of sign language interpreters at hospital counters, difficulties faced due to high counters and surgical beds, the absence of toilets with commode facilities, and privacy concerns caused by “saloon-style doors” in accessible toilets. The need for priority identification cards for persons with intellectual disabilities who find it difficult to wait in queues was also highlighted.
Officials noted that steps are being taken to develop infrastructure under World Bank and Asian Development Bank assistance, including accessibility features such as ramps, accessible toilets, and dedicated pharmacy counters. It was also revealed that pilot “Support Centers” staffed with personnel trained in basic sign language are being planned for primary hospitals.
At the conclusion of the programme, it was proposed that persons with disabilities themselves should be employed at these Support Centers to ensure more effective, experience-based service delivery. Agreement was reached to take prompt follow-up action within the Ministry of Health on practical recommendations related to staff sensitization and the standardization of infrastructure.
The programme was attended by officials of the Parliamentary Caucus for Persons with Disabilities, Programme Officer of IFES Ms. Anojitha Sivaskaran and other representatives of the organization, as well as representatives from institutions and organizations working with persons with disabilities.
2026-11-10
The Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus met recently (Nov. 06) at Parliament under the chairpersonship of Hon. Minister Saroja Savithri Paulraj. Discussions focused on promoting children’s rights, taking action against gender-based violence, and strengthening the technical and research capacities of women parliamentarians.Accordingly, during a discussion with representatives of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Sri Lanka, attention was drawn to the “Special Children’s Parliamentary Participation Programme”, scheduled to be held at Parliament on 20th November to mark World Children’s Day. It was noted that a Children’s Statement, prepared based on the views and opinions of more than 1,200 children from across the country, is to be presented to Members of Parliament with the participation of 50 children. The need to re-establish a Children’s Caucus within Parliament to promote children’s rights and welfare was also discussed.Furthermore, attention was drawn to expediting cases relating to child abuse, removing existing legal barriers to this process, and strengthening coordination among the relevant institutions.Subsequently, during a discussion with representatives of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Sri Lanka, matters relating to the global 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign were discussed. The discussion focused on plans to organize an awareness march under the theme “This is my right” and conduct public awareness programmes on preventing violence against women as part of the campaign, which is scheduled to run from November 25 to December 10.The visiting representatives stated that, in addition to women parliamentarians, Members of Parliament, Ministers, officials of government institutions, representatives of civil society organizations and university students are expected to participate in the march. Discussions were also held on introducing a digital directory of services, featuring a QR code, containing information on institutions and services available to women experiencing violence, as well as organizing a dialogue with the participation of relevant stakeholders.Meanwhile, during a follow-up discussion on technical cooperation with representatives of the Max Planck Foundation, attention was focused on parliamentary research support and knowledge sharing. The possibility of providing technical and research assistance to Members of Parliament in areas such as legislative drafting, comparative legal studies, and assessing the impact of proposed legislation on gender equality and human rights was also discussed.The importance of pursuing further initiatives in collaboration with international organizations to strengthen child protection, women's rights and gender-responsive policy measures was also emphasized during the discussions.The Hon.Deputy Chairperson of Committees of Parliament, Hemali Weerasekara; the Hon. Deputy Co-Chairpersons of the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus, Attorney-at-Law Chamindrani Kiriella and Samanmali Gunasinghe; along with several women Members of Parliament serving on the Caucus, also participated in these discussions.
2026-11-10
The Chairman of the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE), Hon. Member of Parliament Dr Nishantha Samaraweera, has emphasized the importance of developing appropriate corporate and operational plans for State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs), identifying measurable Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to assess their progress, and ensuring their effective implementation to enhance institutional performance.He made these remarks at a progress review workshop on the Key Performance Indicators outlined in the corporate and operational plans of 41 institutions, which had initially presented their corporate plans before the Third Sub-Committee of the Committee on Public Enterprises. The workshop was held recently at the Parliament.The Chairman also pointed out the need for public institutions to identify and act in accordance with their statutory powers and responsibilities to ensure the proper discharge of their functions, financial discipline and operational efficiency.He further stressed that, rather than focusing solely on past audit issues, it was important to assess the progress made in implementing corporate plans and evaluate whether the intended outcomes had been achieved through their implementation.The workshop was attended by Members of Parliament serving on the Committee on Public Enterprises; Auditor General Ms Samudika Jayaratne and audit officers of the National Audit Office; P. Ranasinghe and C. S. Mayadunne, Advisers to the Committee on Public Enterprises and the Committee on Public Accounts, respectively; officials from the Department of Management Audit, the Department of Public Enterprises and the Department of National Budget; as well as chief executive officers and chief financial officers of State-Owned Enterprises and other officials.
2026-11-10
The Select Committee of Parliament to look into and report to Parliament on the matter of selecting the Electoral System under which the Provincial Council Elections should be held and submit its proposals and recommendations in that regard, sought the views and proposals of various political parties on the matter.This took place when the Select Committee met recently at Parliament under the chairmanship of, Hon. Minister Vijitha Herath.At the meeting, K. Premachandran, representing the Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF); Ramasamy Rajendran, representing the Eros Democratic Front; and Shanmuganathan Sanjeevan, representing the Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP), presented the views and proposals of their respective political parties.The objective of the discussion was to obtain the views of political parties on matters including the electoral system that should be adopted for conducting Provincial Council elections, as well as the representation of women and youth.The meeting was also attended by Hon. Deputy Ministers Munir Mulaffer, Attorney-at-Law Sunil Watagala and Arun Hemachandra, together with members of the Select Committee, Hon. Members of Parliament Dharmapriya Wijesinghe, Samanmali Gunasinghe and Lakshman Nipuna Arachchi.
2026-11-06
The Parliamentary Caucus for Youth discussed how to strengthen engagement between young people and Parliament and advance future initiatives aimed at increasing youth participation.The Caucus met recently at Parliament under the chairmanship of, Hon. Deputy Minister Eranga Gunasekara, where members exchanged views on the matter.Discussions also focused on several proposals, including a proposal on youth entrepreneurship and industrial development prepared by Hon. Member of Parliament Oshani Umanga; a proposal on empowering youth within local government authorities, prepared by Hon. Member of Parliament, Attorney-at-Law Hiruni Wijesinghe; and a proposal on a policy framework for youth in the plantation and cultivation sectors, prepared by Hon. Member of Parliament Ambika Samivel.Furthermore, extensive discussions were held on proposals prepared by the Caucus's Deputy Co-Chairs, Hon. Members of Parliament Lasith Bashana Gamage, Thanura Dissanayake and Attorney-at-Law Bhagya Sri Herath, concerning an external youth engagement programme and a series of pilot workshops.It was also decided to further study these proposals, which could be implemented for the benefit of young people, and finalize them following further consideration.Several members of the Caucus and other invitees were present at the meeting.
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