Health sector has made vast strides after 2015 - President

President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday, said that around 150 people in Sri Lanka die of Non Communicable Diseases daily and the country should strive to bring down the deaths caused by NCDs to 50.

The President noted that the health sector had made vast strides under the Good Governance government that came to power in 2015.

President Sirisena said that Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine Minister Rajitha Senaratne has played a major role in bringing significant development in the health sector.

The President made these remarks at a ceremonial felicitation of Minister Dr. Senaratne on his election as the Vice Chairman of the World Health Organisation. The felicitation ceremony was jointly organised by the Health Service Union Federation, Health Ministry and the World Health Organisation.

President Sirisena further said the health sector was subjected to radical changes under this government under the guidance of Minister Senaratne.

"Accordingly, the prices of 48 varieties of essential drugs have been brought down drastically. Besides, the prices of stents have also been reduced significantly, ie; the price of a normal stent from Rs. 75,000 to Rs 24,000 and a medicinal stent from Rs.350,000 to Rs. 105,000. Moreover, eye lenses are offered free of charge while a cancer patient is treated without any monetary limits. Earlier, a cancer patient was allocated only Rs.1.5 million and thereafter, the patient had to choose between bearing the additional expenses or death. As a result of passing laws to display pictorial warnings on cigarette packets, it is observed that there has been a signficant drop in the number of smokers," the President said.

“These are a few of the significant achievements in the country's health sector after 2015,” President Sirisena said.

President Sirisena further added that the present government was able to implement the Prof. Senaka Bibile’s drug policy 45 years after its introduction.

“As a former Health Minister, I tried to implement Prof. Senaka Bibile’s Drug Policy, but the draft of the drug policy was misplaced at the Legal Draftsman’s Department,” the President said.

The President added that he faced many difficulties when trying to implement the 80 per cent pictorial warning on cigarette packets in 2012.

“The then Head of State threw away my Cabinet Paper to display 80 per cent pictorial warning on packets of cigarettes saying that no foreigner would come to the country, if they couldn’t smoke a cigarette,” the President said. President Sirisena further added that real democracy is being exercised at the Cabinet meetings now.

The Ministers are allowed to freely debate the Cabinet Papers unlike the previous regime.

The President said that he felt really happy after hearing that Minister Senaratne was appointed to the post of World Health Organisation Vice Chairman.

President Sirisena added that when Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva was once elected as the Chairman of World Health Organisation, the then Head of State never felicitated him or uttered a single word to encourage him. 

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