Doctors say Sri Lanka’s free healthcare system is on the brink of breakdown as thousands of medical professionals prepare to leave the country, drug shortages worsen, and hospitals struggle to survive.
The Government Medical Officers Association has called on the government to use the 2026 budget to introduce a strong and sustainable program to protect the free healthcare system and address the issues faced by doctors and hospitals nationwide. The association warned that the continued deterioration of the health sector will lead to an irreversible collapse of the country’s hospital network if urgent action is not taken.
According to the GMOA, more than 2,000 doctors have already left the country due to economic instability, inadequate salaries, unfriendly working conditions, and an excessive tax burden. It further revealed that more than 5,000 additional doctors are preparing to leave soon, creating a critical shortage of medical professionals and threatening the future of free healthcare in Sri Lanka.
The association also highlighted that the shortage of medicines and equipment, lack of patient care facilities, poor infrastructure, and the unsafe environment within hospitals have turned healthcare administration into a serious national crisis. It stressed that without immediate intervention, the free healthcare model Sri Lanka has maintained for decades will not survive.
To prevent this collapse, the GMOA has submitted an eight-point proposal to the government, urging the implementation of medium and long-term measures to encourage doctors to stay in the country and to prioritise the sustainability of the public hospital system. The proposal reads as follows:
- Implement a sustainable program with a clear time frame to ensure economic stability and create a professional environment that encourages doctors and specialists to remain in the country.
- Introduce a strong short-term and long-term strategy to resolve the shortage of medicines and equipment and ensure uninterrupted medical supply chains.
- Implement new strategies to ensure the safety of healthcare workers, introduce necessary legal provisions, and establish security action plans in hospitals.
- Analyse current and future service needs within the healthcare system and update the approved cadre of doctors as soon as possible to meet projected demands.
- Improve patient care standards by expanding educational, postgraduate, and training opportunities for doctors and other healthcare personnel.
- Establish necessary infrastructure such as official residences and proper transport facilities to create a professional environment that supports the work and wellbeing of medical staff.
- Upgrade infrastructure, sanitation and patient facilities inside hospitals to improve quality and dignity in patient care.
- Conduct a feasibility study to strengthen primary healthcare and bring medical services closer to communities.
The GMOA stated that the 2026 budget must not focus on temporary relief but on a strategic roadmap to rebuild trust in the system, retain qualified doctors, and restore the strength of Sri Lanka’s free healthcare model.
