Press briefing of Cabinet Decision taken on 2018-02-27

Health and Medical Service Improvement Project

- In the recent past, a significant increase is shown in the non‑communicable diseases such as the cardiovascular and strokes among the people of the country. Of the deaths caused, 75% are due to non‑communicable diseases and the major cause for about 40% is heart diseases. As such, the focus of the Government has been directed to improve the health and medical service facilities needed specially for the prevention of heart diseases, and providing treatments in that regard.

Under this programme it has been proposed to implement a project with the objective of improving such treatment services in the General Hospitals of Anuradhapura, Kandy, Kurunegala, Badulla and Trincomalee and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has agreed to provide funds for this purpose. Accordingly, the proposal made by Hon. Ranil Wickremasinghe, the Prime Minister in his capacity as the Minister of National Policies and Economic Affairs, to conduct loan negotiations with JICA to obtain a loan of Japanese Yen 10,639 million for the implementation of the project and to enter into the relevant loan Agreements, was approved by the Cabinet.