Ministry_of_Health_(Sri_Lanka)

Ministry of Health (Sri Lanka)

Ministry in Sri Lanka

The Ministry of Health^[4] (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.^[5]

Quick Facts Formed, Jurisdiction ...

Ministry of Health
Ministry overview
සෞඛ්‍ය අමාත්‍යාංශය சுகாதார அமைச்சு

Formed	1931; 93 years ago (1931)
Jurisdiction	Government of Sri Lanka
Headquarters	385 Ven. Baddegama Wimalawansa Thero Mawatha, Maradana, Colombo 6°55′12.40″N 79°51′54.60″E
Employees	150,273 (2020)^[1]
Annual budget	LKR 322 billion (2023)^[2] (4.1% of GDP)
Minister responsible	Hon. Ramesh Pathirana^[3], Minister of Health
Ministry executive	Major General Dr Sanjeewa Munasinghe, Health Secretary
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
Website	health.gov.lk
Map
Location in Colombo District

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.^[6]

The current Minister of Health is Ramesh Pathirana.^[3] The Current Secretary is Dr Palitha Maheepala.

Ministers

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

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (February 2014)

More information Name, Portrait ...

**Ministers of Health**
	Party	Took office	Left office		Ministerial title	Refs
T. B. Panabokke		1931	1931		Minister of Health	^[7]^[8]
W. A. de Silva		1936	1946		Minister of Health	^[9]^[10]
S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike	United National Party	26 September 1947	12 July 1951	D. S. Senanayake	Minister of Health and Local Government	^[11]^[12]
Dudley Senanayake	United National Party	1952		Dudley Senanayake	Minister of Health and Local Government	^[13]
E. A. Nugawela				Dudley Senanayake	Minister of Health	^[14]
E. A. Nugawela				John Kotelawala		^[15]
Vimala Wijewardene	Sri Lanka Freedom Party	12 April 1956	June 1959	S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike		^[16]^[17]
A. P. Jayasuriya		26 September 1959	8 December 1959	W. Dahanayake		^[18]
M. V. P. Peiris		23 March 1960	1960	Dudley Senanayake	Minister of Health and Social Services	^[18]
A. P. Jayasuriya		23 July 1960		Sirimavo Bandaranaike	Minister of Health	^[19]
Badi-ud-din Mahmud		28 May 1963		Sirimavo Bandaranaike	Minister of Health and Housing	^[20]
M. D. H. Jayawardena	United National Party			Dudley Senanayake	Minister of Health	^[21]^[22]
George Rajapaksa	Sri Lanka Freedom Party			Sirimavo Bandaranaike		^[23]^[24]
Siva Obeyesekere	Sri Lanka Freedom Party	1976	1977	Sirimavo Bandaranaike		^[25]^[26]
Ranjit Atapattu	United National Party	1982	1989	J. R. Jayewardene		^[27]^[28]
Sunethra Ranasinghe	United National Party	1983	1985			^[29]
Sunethra Ranasinghe	United National Party	1985	1989		Minister of Women's Affairs and Teaching Hospitals	^[30]
Renuka Herath	United National Party	1989	1994	Ranasinghe Premadasa	Minister of Health and Women's Affairs	^[31]^[32]
A. H. M. Fowzie	Sri Lanka Freedom Party	1994		D. B. Wijetunga	Minister of Health and Social Services	^[33]
A. H. M. Fowzie	Sri Lanka Freedom Party			Chandrika Kumaratunga	Minister of Health, Highways and Social Services	^[34]^[35]
John Seneviratne	Sri Lanka Freedom Party	19 October 2000			Minister of Health	^[36]^[37]
P. Dayaratna	United National Party	12 December 2001			Minister of Health, Nutrition and Welfare	^[38]^[39]^[40]
Nimal Siripala de Silva	Sri Lanka Freedom Party	14 September 2001			Minister of Health, Indigenous Medicine and Social Services	^[41]^[42]
		10 April 2004			Minister of Healthcare, Nutrition and Uva-Wellassa Development	^[43]^[44]^[45]
		23 November 2005		Mahinda Rajapaksa	Minister of Healthcare and Nutrition	^[46]^[47]^[48]
Maithripala Sirisena	Sri Lanka Freedom Party	23 April 2010	21 November 2014		Minister of Health	^[49]^[50]^[51]^[52]
Tissa Attanayake	United National Party	11 December 2014			Minister of Health	^[53]^[54]^[55]
Rajitha Senaratne		12 January 2015	17 August 2015	Maithripala Sirisena	Minister of Health and Indigenous Medicine	^[56]^[57]^[58]
	Sri Lanka Freedom Party^[59]^[60]
	Democratic National Movement^[61]^[62]
	Democratic National Movement^[61]^[62]	4 September 2015	21 November 2019		Minister of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine	^[63]^[64]^[65]

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (September 2015)

More information Name, Portrait ...

**Ministers of Nutrition**
	Party	Took office		Ministerial title	Refs
P. Dayaratna	United National Party	12 December 2001	Chandrika Kumaratunga	Minister of Health, Nutrition and Welfare	^[38]^[39]^[40]
Nimal Siripala de Silva	Sri Lanka Freedom Party	10 April 2004	Chandrika Kumaratunga	Minister of Healthcare, Nutrition and Uva-Wellassa Development	^[43]^[44]^[45]
Nimal Siripala de Silva	Sri Lanka Freedom Party	23 November 2005	Mahinda Rajapaksa	Minister of Healthcare and Nutrition	^[46]^[47]^[48]

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (January 2015)

More information Name, Portrait ...

**Ministers of Indigenous Medicine**
	Party	Took office	Left office		Ministerial title	Refs
Tissa Karalliyadde	Sri Lanka Freedom Party	19 October 2000		Chandrika Kumaratunga	Minister of Indigenous Medicine	^[36]
Tissa Karalliyadde	Sri Lanka Freedom Party	10 April 2004		Chandrika Kumaratunga		^[43]^[44]
Piyasena Gamage	Sri Lanka Freedom Party	23 April 2010		Mahinda Rajapaksa		^[49]^[50]^[51]
Salinda Dissanayake	Sri Lanka Freedom Party	22 November 2010		Mahinda Rajapaksa		^[66]^[67]
Rajitha Senaratne		12 January 2015	17 August 2015	Maithripala Sirisena	Minister of Health and Indigenous Medicine	^[56]^[57]^[58]
	Sri Lanka Freedom Party^[59]^[60]
	Democratic National Movement^[61]^[62]
	Democratic National Movement^[61]^[62]	4 September 2015	21 November 2019		Minister of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine	^[63]^[64]^[65]

Secretaries

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (January 2015)

More information Name, Took office ...

**Health Secretaries**
Name	Took office	Title	Refs
T. R. C. Ruberu	25 April 2010	Health Secretary	^[68]^[69]
Y. D. Nihal Jayathilaka	12 July 2012	Health Secretary	^[70]
W. Sudharma Karunaratne	29 May 2014	Health Secretary	^[71]^[72]
D. M. R. B. Dissanayake	19 January 2015	Health and Indigenous Medicine Secretary	^[73]^[74]^[75]^[76]
Upali Marasinghe	8 September 2015	Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine Secretary	^[77]^[78]^[79]
P. H. J. B. Sugathadasa	16 June 2017	Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine Secretary	^[80]

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External links

health.gov.lk

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