Press briefing of Cabinet Decision taken on 2018-04-24

Primary Healthcare System Strengthening Project

Even though the management of child and maternity health services and communicable diseases has achieved its success on account of the free health service, further challenges such as the growth of the aged population and the spreading of non‑communicable diseases due to unwholesome foods and bad health practices, have to be dealt with. At the Primary Healthcare level, more attention has to be focused on communicable diseases such as Dengue fever, Tuberculosis and H.I.V./AIDS, in addition to non‑communicable diseases. Due to this reason, it has become a timely requirement to develop the Primary Healthcare service facilities in Sri Lanka and accordingly, approval of the Cabinet has been granted to implement the 'Policy providing Healthcare services aimed at Universal Health Coverage', formulated in that regard. Under this, it has been designed to implement a Five Year Project for the empowerment of the Primary Healthcare System identifying the deficiencies in the Primary Healthcare system prevailing in the country to enable to provide a comprehensive and qualitative health treatment service. As such, the proposal made by Hon. (Dr.) Rajitha Senaratne, the Minister of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine, to implement the proposed project by the Ministry of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine in collaboration with the Ministry of Provincial Councils and Local Government, utilizing the funds of US$ 200 million as agreed to by the World Bank to provide under concessionary terms, was approved by the Cabinet.