Sri Lanka has approved the purchase of a new fleet of vehicles to strengthen the island’s primary health care system, supported by a USD 150 million World Bank financing agreement aimed at improving community-level services from 2024 to 2028.
The government said the project focuses on preventing and managing non-communicable diseases, expanding elderly and palliative care, and boosting resilience to climate-related health emergencies. Officials identified the lack of adequate transport for field officers — including public health midwives, inspectors, primary care nurses and surveillance teams — as a major obstacle to effective service delivery.
The Cabinet of Ministers approved a proposal by the Minister of Health and Mass Media to procure a range of vehicles to improve home-based care, strengthen supervision, enhance field testing efficiency, and ensure the timely and safe transport of clinical waste.
Under the plan, the Health Ministry will purchase 26 clinical waste transport lorries, 26 double cabs, five 10-seat vans, two 42-seat buses, 2,891 scooters for public health midwives, 200 scooters for public health nurses, and 1,350 motorbikes for public health inspectors. The procurement list also includes 200 scooters for laboratory services, 20 refrigerated trucks for the Medical Supply Division, eight forklifts, a crew cab for the Puttalam Divisional Health Office, and an ambulance for the Jaffna District. (Newswire)
