Ministry of Health (Sri Lanka)

Ministry of Health
සෞඛ්‍ය අමාත්‍යාංශය
சுகாதார அமைச்சு
Ministry overview
Formed1931; 93 years ago (1931)
JurisdictionGovernment of Sri Lanka
Headquarters385 Ven. Baddegama Wimalawansa Thero Mawatha, Maradana, Colombo
6°55′12.40″N 79°51′54.60″E / 6.9201111°N 79.8651667°E / 6.9201111; 79.8651667
EmployeesIncrease 150,273 (2020)[1]
Annual budgetDecrease LKR 322 billion (2023)[2]
(4.1% of GDP)
Minister responsible
Child agencies
  • List
    • Ayurvedic Medical Council
    • Department of Ayurveda
    • Department of Health Services
    • Medical Research Institute
    • National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol
    • National Health Council
    • National Health Development Fund
    • National Institute of Health Science
    • National Institute of Nephrology, Dialysis and Transplantation
    • Private Medical Institute Council
    • Sri Lanka Ayurvedic Drugs Corporation
    • Sri Lanka Medical Council
    • Sri Lanka Thriposha Limited
    • State Pharmaceuticals Corporation
    • State Pharmaceuticals Manufacturing Corporation
Websitehealth.gov.lk
Map
Ministry of Health (Sri Lanka) is located in Colombo District
Ministry of Health (Sri Lanka)
Location in Colombo District

The Ministry of Health[3] (Sinhala: සෞඛ්‍ය අමාත්‍යාංශය, romanized: Saukhya Amāthyānshaya; Tamil: சுகாதார அமைச்சு, romanized: Cukātāra Amaiccu) is the central government ministry of Sri Lanka responsible for health. The ministry is responsible for formulating and implementing national policy on health, nutrition, indigenous medicine and other subjects which come under its purview.[4]

Provincial councils are constitutionally responsible for operating the majority of the Sri Lanka's public hospitals but some, known as line ministry hospitals, come under the direct control of the central government in Colombo. As of 2016 there were 47 line ministry hospitals (including all of the country's teaching hospitals), accounting for 47% (36,000) of all public hospital beds in the country.[5]

The current Minister of Health portfolio is held by Prime Minister Dr Harini Amarasuriya since 2024.

Ministers

The Minister of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine is a member of the Cabinet of Sri Lanka.

Parties

  Governors of British Ceylon   United National Party   Sri Lanka Freedom Party   Viplavakari Lanka Sama Samaja Party   Eelam People's Democratic Party   Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna   National People's Power

Ministers of Health
Name Portrait Party Took office Left office Head of government Ministerial title Refs
T. B. Panabokke 1931 1931 Minister of Health [6][7]
W. A. de Silva 1936 1946 [8][9]
S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike United National Party 26 September 1947 12 July 1951 D. S. Senanayake Minister of Health and Local Government [10][11]
Dudley Senanayake United National Party 1952 Dudley Senanayake [12]
E. A. Nugawela Minister of Health [13]
John Kotelawala [14]
Vimala Wijewardene Sri Lanka Freedom Party 12 April 1956 June 1959 S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike [15][16]
A. P. Jayasuriya 26 September 1959 8 December 1959 W. Dahanayake [17]
M. V. P. Peiris 23 March 1960 1960 Dudley Senanayake Minister of Health and Social Services [17]
A. P. Jayasuriya 23 July 1960 Sirimavo Bandaranaike Minister of Health [18]
Badi-ud-din Mahmud 28 May 1963 Minister of Health and Housing [19]
M. D. H. Jayawardena United National Party Dudley Senanayake Minister of Health [20][21]
George Rajapaksa Sri Lanka Freedom Party Sirimavo Bandaranaike [22][23]
Siva Obeyesekere Sri Lanka Freedom Party 1976 1977 [24][25]
Ranjit Atapattu United National Party 1982 1989 J. R. Jayewardene [26][27]
Sunethra Ranasinghe United National Party 1983 1985 [28]
1985 1989 Minister of Women's Affairs and Teaching Hospitals [29]
Renuka Herath United National Party 1989 1994 Ranasinghe Premadasa Minister of Health and Women's Affairs [30][31]
A. H. M. Fowzie Sri Lanka Freedom Party 1994 D. B. Wijetunga Minister of Health and Social Services [32]
Chandrika Kumaratunga Minister of Health, Highways and Social Services [33][34]
John Seneviratne Sri Lanka Freedom Party 19 October 2000 Minister of Health [35][36]
P. Dayaratna United National Party 12 December 2001 Minister of Health, Nutrition and Welfare [37][38][39]
Nimal Siripala de Silva Sri Lanka Freedom Party 14 September 2001 10 April 2004 Minister of Health, Indigenous Medicine and Social Services [40][41]
10 April 2004 23 November 2005 Minister of Healthcare, Nutrition and Uva-Wellassa Development [42][43][44]
23 November 2005 23 April 2010 Mahinda Rajapaksa Minister of Healthcare and Nutrition [45][46][47]
Maithripala Sirisena Sri Lanka Freedom Party 23 April 2010 21 November 2014 Minister of Health [48][49][50][51]
Tissa Attanayake United National Party 11 December 2014 12 January 2015 [52][53][54]
Rajitha Senaratne Sri Lanka Freedom Party 12 January 2015 17 August 2015 Maithripala Sirisena Minister of Health and Indigenous Medicine [55][56][57]
Rajitha Senaratne United National Party 4 September 2015 21 November 2019 Minister of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine [58][59][60]
Pavithra Devi Wanniarachchi Sri Lanka Freedom Party 22 November 2019 12 August 2020 Gotabaya Rajapaksa Minister of Healthcare and Indigenous Medical Services
Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna 12 August 2020 18 April 2022 Minister of Health
Channa Jayasumana Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna 18 April 2022 9 May 2022
Keheliya Rambukwella Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna 23 May 2022 22 July 2022
22 July 2022 23 October 2023 Ranil Wickremesinghe Minister of Health and Water Supply
Ramesh Pathirana Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna 23 October 2023 24 September 2024 Minister of Health
Harini Amarasuriya National People's Power 24 September 2024 18 November 2024 Anura Kumara Dissanayake Minister of Health [61]
Nalinda Jayatissa National People's Power 18 November 2024 Incumbent Minister of Health and Mass Media [62]

Secretaries

Health Secretaries
Name Took office Left office Title Refs
T. R. C. Ruberu 25 April 2010 Health Secretary [63][64]
Y. D. Nihal Jayathilaka 12 July 2012 Health Secretary [65]
W. Sudharma Karunaratne 29 May 2014 Health Secretary [66][67]
D. M. R. B. Dissanayake 19 January 2015 Health and Indigenous Medicine Secretary [68][69][70][71]
Upali Marasinghe 8 September 2015 Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine Secretary [72][73][74]
P. H. J. B. Sugathadasa 16 June 2017 Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine Secretary [75]

References

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