A total of 42 Health and Wellness Centres will be opened to the public on January 24 in 21 districts across the island under the second phase of the pilot project to establish 1,000 such centres, the Ministry of Health and Mass Media announced.
The inauguration ceremony will be held at the Kananwila and Heenatiyangala Health and Wellness Centres in the Kalutara District under the patronage of Minister of Health and Mass Media Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa.
The centres are being established under the “Healthy Sri Lanka” programme, an initiative implemented under the guidance of the Health Minister with the aim of ensuring that citizens receive quality healthcare services with dignity and respect.
Under the first phase of the pilot project, five Health and Wellness Centres were set up in 2025 in Mapalagama (Galle), Ath Oya (Ratnapura), Thalpitiya (Kalutara), Polagollawatte (Kandy) and Gankanda (Matale). Based on the experience gained from this phase, the Ministry plans to establish 250 new centres islandwide this year. A sum of Rs. 1,500 million has already been allocated from the 2026 Budget for this purpose.
Under the second phase, the 42 new centres will be opened in the coming weeks in districts including Colombo (3), Gampaha (2), Kalutara (3), Kandy (2), Ratnapura (1), Galle (2), Matara (2), Hambantota (2), Batticaloa (2), Kalmunai (1), Kurunegala (3), Puttalam (2), Badulla (2), Monaragala (2), Anuradhapura (2), Polonnaruwa (2), Matale (1), Ampara (2), Kegalle (2), Nuwara Eliya (2) and Trincomalee (2).
Each Health and Wellness Centre will be staffed by an eight-member healthcare team, including a family physician and a community health nurse, and will be located in easily accessible areas close to local communities. The centres are also expected to function with strong community participation and support from local organisations.
The facilities will provide a wide range of primary healthcare services, including diagnosis and management of non-communicable diseases, early cancer detection, minor surgical procedures, elderly and rehabilitation care, palliative services, primary eye and oral healthcare, mental health services and counselling, nutritional care, alcohol rehabilitation services, youth and adolescent care, selected laboratory tests, and community health empowerment programmes.
The Ministry said the initiative aims to strengthen primary healthcare delivery and improve health outcomes at the community level across the country.
