A heartbreaking crisis unfolds as thousands of critically ill patients wait years for life-saving heart surgery, exposing the deep cracks in Sri Lanka’s public health system and the urgent need for government intervention.
Nearly 5,000 patients are now on the waiting list for heart surgery at the Colombo National Hospital, and some may have to wait up to four years for their turn, according to Doctors’ Trade Union Alliance for Medical and Civil Rights Chairman Dr. Chamal Sanjeewa. He said the figures were obtained through the Right to Information Act, revealing a severe strain on the country’s cardiac care services.
Five key heart surgery wards have waiting lists of 600, 756, 2,400, 400, and 761 patients, with expected surgery dates stretching across several years. Dr. Sanjeewa warned that many waiting patients come from low-income families and cannot afford private hospitals, where the minimum cost of a heart surgery is Rs. 2 million. He stressed that “the risk of patients dying before their surgery in the public sector is very high.”
He also criticized this year’s budget, saying it failed to provide any special support from the President’s Fund for those urgently needing heart surgery. Dr. Sanjeewa urged the government to take immediate action to protect vulnerable patients who cannot survive lengthy delays in treatment.
While the government has proposed building a 16-story heart surgery facility at Colombo National Hospital, Dr. Sanjeewa pointed out that allocating only Rs. 200 million for the project will not be sufficient to address the crisis or expand capacity at the speed required.
Sri Lanka’s healthcare system, he said, is now at a critical point where strong decisions are needed to save lives.
