Appointment letters were presented to 2,819 trainee nurses from the 2020 student nursing cohort, who completed the three-year Higher Diploma course at nursing colleges under the Ministry of Health and Mass Media, recruiting them to the Sri Lankan health service as Grade III nursing officers. The ceremony was held at Temple Trees this morning (01), under the patronage of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
The 2,819 nursing officers appointed today had sat the GCE Advanced Level examination in the Science and Mathematics streams in 2019 and 2020. They entered 16 nursing colleges across the island in 2023 and successfully completed the three-year Higher Diploma course.
The newly appointed nursing officers will be assigned to hospitals and healthcare institutions across the island administered by the central government and provincial councils.
Alongside the presentation of these appointment letters, promotion letters were also presented, under the patronage of the President, to 76 Grade I nursing officers (Hospital Services) for promotion to the Special Grade of nursing officers (Hospital Services).
Addressing the event, Minister of Health and Mass Media Dr Nalinda Jayatissa said that steps had been expedited to fill vacancies in order to address staff shortages across the country’s hospital system and provide the public with a higher-quality healthcare service.
The Minister noted that, since 2017, the Ministry had given special attention to filling vacancies in the nursing service.
He further stated that, in line with the health policy and strategic plans for the next decade (2025–2035), staffing requirements had been forecast using scientific data. Accordingly, arrangements had been made, subject to the approval of the Department of Management Services of the Ministry of Finance, to recruit 13,000 personnel to the nursing service over the three-year period from 2027 to 2029.
Deputy Minister of Health Dr Hansaka Wijemuni, Secretary to the Ministry of Health and Mass Media Dr Anil Jasinghe, and several additional secretaries, deputy directors-general and other ministry officials attended the event.
