President Ranil Wickremesinghe has proposed that the matter of Sri Lankan doctors being recruited by foreign nations be raised at the next World Health Organisation (WHO) meeting.
Speaking at a meeting held with the Ministry of Health, the President also proposed that compensation be sought from foreign nations for the recruitment of Sri Lankan doctors.
The President pointed out that doctors in countries like the United Kingdom (UK) are leaving, forcing those countries to recruit doctors from Sri Lanka.
He further noted that some other foreign nations are also recruiting Sri Lankan doctors in a similar manner which should be raised with the WHO.
“It’s like loss and damage we have in climate change. Your people are leaving, that’s not our fault. Either change your system and pay your doctors or compensate us for that,” the President said.
The President proposed that Sri Lankan doctors could be recruited in exchange for funding of various faculties, including medicine and engineering, in order for Sri Lanka to train more eligible persons.
During the meeting, the President also directed the formulation of a new Medical Act within six months with the aim of addressing shortcomings in the present Medical Ordinance and thereby providing better healthcare and protecting citizens’ well-being.
According to the President’s Media Division (PMD), a high-level Committee, consisting of the Secretary of Health, Legal Draftsman, and President of the SLMC, was assigned to examine the provisions of the Medical Ordinance and formulate a new Medical Act with appropriate provisions.
To address immediate medical needs, an additional allocation of Rs. 30 billion was approved for medical supplies under the Provision to Ministry of Health, sufficient for the next three months.
Efforts to improve medicine distribution and inventory management were also discussed, with the President emphasizing the need for a web-based system to provide real-time information on available medicines and their distribution among hospitals with immediate effect as discussed during the meeting two weeks ago.
A five-member committee led by A. K. Seneviratne, Deputy Secretary to the Treasury was appointed to, among other tasks; devise a simple and transparent scheme for the procurement of quality drugs and medical devices. (NewsWire)