SJB will invest more in health and education: Eran

Samgi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Eran Wickramaratne 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 (the government has no money to invest in the health sector) has pushed the health services in to abyss.

Addressing the Media at the Office of the Leader of Opposition on Sunday, 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/nurses can earn three times the salary they receive in Sri Lanka, when they chose to go overseas,"

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, the MP said.

"An SJB government will invest more on soft infrastructure such as health and education, instead of hard infrastructure that has not generated dividends to 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," he said.