The Government is working on making more foreign exchange available to the medical sector on an urgent basis, President Ranil Wickremesinghe said.
He was addressing the inaugural ceremony of the sixth annual academic sessions of the Sri Lanka College of Military Medicine (SLCOMM) on Friday.
President Wickremesinghe said the Government will use the Indian Credit Line (ICL) to address the shortage of medicine during this economic crisis and added that the ICL would be used to import essential medicines that are in short supply.
A separate unit would be set up to send military personnel overseas to help out during health disasters, the President said.
Plans are afoot to send a group of military personnel to Turkiye to assist recovery and relief efforts following the massive earthquake there and in neighbouring Syria.
He said that the Government had sent a group of military personnel to Nepal after natural disasters in that country.
“But I am looking at the possibility of using our military medical personnel for overseas missions when people are faced with health disasters,” the President said. “Health disasters such as epidemics take place more often worldwide than natural disasters and I would discuss this matter with the military to establish a separate unit in this regard. That will be a new chapter for Military Medicine in Sri Lanka.”
He said that discussions are in progress with the Ministry of Health to upgrade the Medical Research Institute (MRI) in Colombo into one of the best medical research laboratories in the Asian region.
The Government also plans to introduce a health insurance scheme where the Government can assist those in the lower income category, when they need to get the services of private hospitals. This will be particularly useful in the case of getting certain medical procedures which are not yet available in Government hospitals.
President Wickremesinghe said the Government is also exploring the possibility of introducing paying wards in Government hospitals and also introducing non-paying wards in private hospitals where the Government will pick up the tab for treatment. This too would be useful for low-income segments.
He said the medical corps of the Army, Navy and Air Force are really experienced in military medicine in military crises, as seen during the 30-year war in the North and the East. While facing the war they also rendered a yeomen service during the tsunami catastrophe in December 2004, floods and Covid-19. Hence they have years of experience in military and civilian medical fields.
He appreciated the service rendered by the SLCMM in the field of Military Medicine in the country. The SLCMM which commenced only in 2016 has now blossomed into a full-fledged medical organisation. He also commended the contribution made by the past Presidents, present President and office-bearers of the SLCMM in the field of Military Medicine.
The theme of the parley at the SLAF Eagles Lagoon in Katunayake was “Resilience of Military Medicine in Times of Crisis”.