Press briefing of Cabinet Decision taken on 2018-03-20

The Implementation of a Health Assessment Programme for migrants who visit Sri Lanka

- The National Migration Health Policy was declared by Sri Lanka in the year 2013 and accordingly, appropriate measures have to be taken to prevent the threat posed on public health with the diseases that could enter the country due to migration. Sri Lanka receives around 40,000 long-stay or resident visa applications annually and it is identified that around 60% of them are from migrant workers arriving from the countries with a higher risk level relative to the public health in Sri Lanka. Currently, there is no process to assess their health level status of these migrants and no incentive programmes is also in place for them to obtain a health insurance cover during their stay in the country to cover their health expenditure.

Therefore, it has become necessary to take some expeditious measures in this regard. Accordingly, the proposal made by Hon. (Dr.) Rajitha Senaratne, the Minister of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine, to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine representing Sri Lanka and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), to establish and implement a Health Assessment Programme for Residence Visa Applicants, was approved by the Cabinet.