The Ministry of Health and Mass Media plans to recruit 2,847 nurses in October this year as part of its long-term strategy to strengthen Sri Lanka’s nursing workforce, Health and Mass Media Minister Nalinda Jayatissa said.
The minister announced the recruitment plan while addressing the capping and pledge ceremony for the 2021 batch of student nurses at the Colombo School of Nursing on Thursday (25).
He said a further 1,949 nurses are scheduled to be recruited in March 2028, followed by another 2,920 appointments in August 2028.
According to the minister, the government aims to recruit 13,600 nurses by 2030 and expects to achieve 50% of that target by the end of this year.
The minister also said the government has taken steps to increase the salaries of all new entrants to the nursing service while working to improve facilities at nursing schools that currently operate with limited resources.
He added that discussions are underway with the Ministry of Higher Education to establish a dedicated university for nursing education.
The minister said strengthening the nursing service remains essential to further developing Sri Lanka’s free healthcare system and described nursing as a highly respected profession. (Newswire)