The Cabinet of Ministers has approved a plan to improve access to advanced healthcare services in government hospitals by introducing public-private partnerships (PPPs) under a performance-based payment system.
Rising cases of non-communicable diseases have increased the demand for diagnostic services, but patients often face long waits due to limited access to essential equipment such as CT scanners, MRI machines, DSA units, cardiac catheterization systems, and automated hematology and biochemistry analyzers. Budget constraints and lengthy procurement procedures have further slowed the availability of such equipment in public hospitals.
To overcome these challenges, the Ministry of Health and Mass Media will acquire diagnostic services and equipment through PPPs, ensuring faster access to medical reports while following proper procurement procedures.
The Cabinet also approved measures to expand dialysis services. Although 80 government hospitals currently provide dialysis, demand exceeds the available capacity. Using the successful PPP model at Kandy National Hospital as a reference, selected hospitals will have dialysis machines, reverse osmosis systems, consumables, and operations fully financed and managed by private partners, while the government provides infrastructure and maintains clinical supervision.
Officials say these initiatives will strengthen the public health system by improving access to critical diagnostics and life-saving dialysis services.
