The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) has moved to uncover the contents of health-related agreements signed between Sri Lanka and India, filing an official request under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, No. 12 of 2016. Their focus: the Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) signed during the recent visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi—specifically those involving the Sri Lankan Ministry of Health and India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Two of the seven MoUs signed during Modi’s trip pertain directly to the health sector. These agreements involved not only the Ministry of Health but also the Ministry of Mass Media and Sri Lanka’s National Drugs Regulatory Authority. However, details about the content and implications of these MoUs have yet to be disclosed, raising concerns across professional and public circles.
According to the GMOA, the request has been formally submitted to the Ministry of Health, seeking full documentation and transparency regarding the signed agreements. The union has stated that once the documents are received, it will engage in a deeper discussion with relevant authorities to assess the scope and potential consequences of the arrangements.
So far, government representatives have remained tight-lipped, stating only that the contents of the agreements will be presented to Parliament “at the appropriate time.” This vague assurance has done little to allay the suspicions of those who argue that international pacts of this magnitude should be made available to the public without delay.
At the same time, the GMOA has issued a stark warning about a worsening crisis in the country’s healthcare system. According to the association, Sri Lankan hospitals are now facing a nationwide shortage of essential medicines. The situation, they say, is escalating quickly.
By the end of April, nearly 180 types of medicines had run out within the national medical supply system. An additional 50 essential drugs were unavailable within hospital inventories, bringing the total number of missing pharmaceuticals to over 200. These include vital medications such as antibiotics, painkillers, insulin, and drugs used for heart disease and hypertension. The list also includes a range of surgical tools and critical medical supplies.
Health professionals have raised red flags, warning that the supply chain breakdown is threatening core hospital functions and jeopardizing patient care. The shortages are reportedly impacting institutions at all levels from major national hospitals to smaller regional facilities.
According to the GMOA, the crisis is not only a logistical failure but also a potential humanitarian emergency. Continued disruptions in medical supplies, they caution, could lead to delayed surgeries, increased patient mortality, and a rapid erosion of public trust in the country’s already strained healthcare system.
In light of these compounding pressures, the GMOA’s demand for transparency over the health-related MoUs with India takes on added significance. Critics argue that if the government is entering into health sector agreements with foreign powers while domestic medical systems are collapsing, the public has every right to know what terms are being signed and whose interests they ultimately serve.
For now, the ball lies in the Ministry of Health’s court. With the GMOA’s RTI request on the table and public scrutiny growing by the day, the government’s next move may determine whether trust can be restored or whether suspicion will deepen over yet another chapter of secrecy in the management of Sri Lanka’s national healthcare system.
