The Cabinet paper on the integration of public and private healthcare services, submitted by the Ministry of Health, has raised serious concerns over the future of free healthcare in Sri Lanka, according to Dr. Chamal Sanjeewa, Chairman of the Doctors’ Trade Union Alliance for Medical and Civil Rights.
Dr. Sanjeewa said the Cabinet proposal, which seeks to allow the private sector to provide services within government hospitals, effectively acknowledges the State’s failure to adequately deliver free healthcare to patients who depend on public hospitals. He noted that the current Minister of Health himself has admitted to administrative and financial inefficiencies within the Link Health System, further underscoring systemic weaknesses.
He stressed that health economic analyses have consistently shown that healthcare services provided through the public sector are more cost-effective, while reliance on the private sector leads to higher costs. In this context, Dr. Sanjeewa questioned the rationale behind presenting such a Cabinet paper without first conducting a comprehensive study through a committee comprising experts in health economics and public health.
The doctors’ union leader further said the Cabinet papers highlight the government’s inability to address several pressing issues in the health sector. These include the acute shortage of medicines in hospitals islandwide, the ongoing crisis in conducting CT and MRI radiology tests, prolonged waiting lists for surgeries, deficiencies in laboratory testing services at several institutions including the National Hospital, and the continued departure of health professionals, including doctors, from the public system.
Dr. Sanjeewa also expressed regret that the President has not taken note of what he described as the impracticality of rebuilding the health system while retaining officials he holds responsible for the current collapse in senior positions.
He therefore called on the President to suspend the implementation of the interim Cabinet papers and appoint a technical committee to carry out a thorough evaluation before any decisions are taken on integrating private sector services into government hospitals.
