National Health Services Action Plan to be announced next month
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- Published on Friday, 23 November 2012 11:50
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The National Health Services Action Plan for the next five years has been formulated.. The plan is made under the framework of the national Health Policy and it will be announced by the President on the 10th of next month.
This was stated by the Minister of Health Maithripala Sirisena participated in the 3rd reading debate of the votes of the Ministry of Health in the Parliament yesterday.
The Minister said that the number of dengue deaths has decreased over the past few years, and the main task of the ministry is to reduce the fatal dengue cases.
Speaking further the Minister said that about 50 million patients obtain treatments from government hospitals annually. He said that the exact reason for the kidney ailments in the Rajarata areas has not yet been identified, and the experts and research groups have different opinions on this issue. However, the Minister said that Health Ministry has taken measures to protect people from kidney ailments through various projects.
The Minister told the Parliament that a Tobacco Company has filed a court case against him challenging decision over smoking and the gazette notification recently. The Minister emphasized that he would not kneel down before Tobacco and cigarette companies.
Minister Siriseena said that Sri Lanka is the only country with a National Nutrition Council, and the work of this council has been highly commended locally and internationally.
Speaking about the substandard drugs imported to the country, the Minister said that we import 841 varieties of drugs and only 14 among them have been found substandard. The Minister said that although some members spoke about the substandard drugs that it was the Ministry itself that checked and found about the substandard drugs. The Minister said that his Ministry has done its duty and taken necessary measures to rectify the issue.
The Minister rejected claims made by some Members about drug shortages and invited the members to visit with him to any hospital they mentioned to inquire about drug shortages. The Minister alleged that some members and certain groups are providing false information to the media for petty political advantage.
Responding to a question raised by an MP whether the Health Ministry has accepted Malambe hospital as a teaching hospital, the Minister said that it has not been accepted as a teaching hospital, but as a private medical centre. We have not done anything that contravenes the law. The Minister said that free health service have widely spread throughout the country under President Rajapaksa’s regime. (niz)
