'Free education, health help people gain recognition'

Katugastota group corr

Sri Lanka is the only country which provides free education and health services for the people.

Dr Sarath Amunugama

The excellent free health service has helped to increase the life span of the people and reduce the infant mortality rate and this has made the people to gain international focus and attention, said International Monetary Co-operation Senior Minister and Finance and Planning Deputy Minister Dr Sarath Amunugama.

He was addressing the gathering at a ceremony held to mark the handing over of a new ambulance valued at Rs 11 million to the Hadabowa Rural Hospital in Hataraliyadda by the Central Provincial Health Ministry recently.

Dr Amunugama said the rural hospital concept was born in Sri Lanka in 1936 due to the intervention of late George E de Silva. "Today we have a superior rural hospital network which is on par with most of the leading hospital in respect of services. However much the government works to provide an excellent health service for the people, they are burdened with the high cost of drugs manipulated by a drug mafia", he said.

"The government has paid attention to solve this problem too by conducting negotiations with India and Bangladesh, the leading producers of drugs to import high quality drugs devoid of brand names, on government to government basis and sell them to patients at reasonable prices", he said.

Central Provincial Health Minister Sunil Amaratunga said the ministry received seven ambulances under the President's programme to provide all hospitals with ambulances. The ambulances were given over to rural hospitals such as the Hadabowa rural hospital.