SJB MP Eran Wickramaratne yesterday said that the health sector has become a death trap for patients. “Importation of inferior medicine in the guise of emergency purchasing and non-functioning medical, surgical, and other test equipment in hospitals has pushed the health services into the abyss.
Addressing the Media at the Opposition Leader’s Office yesterday (August 6), he further said that this pathetic situation in the health sector has been further aggravated by the brain drain.
“Though a doctor’s initial combined salary exceeds Rs. 160, 000, the market opportunities available to them are much higher. Doctors and nurses can earn three times the salary they receive in Sri Lanka when they choose to go overseas”, he said.
Wickramaratne added that If the current issues that prevail in the entire health sector are to be resolved, the allocation should be increased from the current 1.5% of the GDP to 3% of the GDP in the health and education sectors.
“An SJB government will invest more in soft infrastructure, such as health and education, instead of hard infrastructure that has not generated dividends for the country thus far. Eran also said that an SJB government will rationalise state expenditure through thorough austerity measures and will invest in health and education infrastructure.
