FINANCIAL CHRONICLE – The government is set to implement modifications to the allowances for doctors, their career pathways, and the lists of hospital staff, while also addressing a backlog of nearly 2,000 medical graduates awaiting internships, as stated by Deputy Minister of Health Hansaka Wijemuni during a parliamentary session.
In response to inquiries concerning the healthcare sector, Wijemuni indicated that the government is in the process of reviewing allowances, working conditions, and regulations affecting medical professionals.
Opposition MP Dayasiri Jayasekara raised concerns about several critical issues, including the outdated cadre list from 2015, a meager Rs 6,000 allowance for medical administrators, and the Rs 70,000 Disturbance, Availability, and Transport (DAT) allowance, which he argued needs to be revised to reflect current living expenses.
Jayasekara also pointed out that approximately 2,500 graduates, including those with foreign degrees, are still waiting for internship opportunities, while over 2,000 doctors who have completed their internships are experiencing delays in obtaining permanent positions.
In his remarks, the deputy health minister expressed that the ministry is working on improving extra duty compensation and hospital facilities. “We are in discussions to initially provide a fixed allowance for specialist doctors, and I am optimistic that we can implement this within the year. Following that, we will work to extend similar measures to other medical practitioners,” Wijemuni noted.
He highlighted that current restrictions limit doctors to an extra duty maximum of six hours per day and 120 hours per month, regulations that have been in place for many years. The government is reviewing the possibility of increasing these limits based on the performance of individual hospital units.
Additionally, a new “Mid-Grade” scheme is being developed to help medical officers have a clearer path for career advancement.
Regarding staffing shortages, Wijemuni mentioned that a special committee led by the Additional Secretary of Medical Services has created a revised cadre structure that is set to be discussed with the Ministry of Finance. Future hospital unit creations will require approval from a technical committee to avoid unplanned expansions.
To tackle the increasing backlog of medical interns, the ministry is planning to overlap internship training placements after receiving the necessary official approvals. “To address this situation, we plan to connect them by overlapping their internship training assignments. We have secured approval from both the Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC) and the University Grants Commission (UGC) for this initiative,” stated Wijemuni.
Moreover, he mentioned that legislative amendments to medical ordinances and regulations are currently being drafted and will be presented to Parliament shortly. (Colombo/Aug6/2026)
