Ensuring hygiene in all State hospitals and in food given to patients is very important, parliamentarian Chamal Rajapaksa said.
He told Health Ministry staff during the Progress Review Meeting of the Ministry at the National Blood Centre recently (before the Court of Appeal order was issued), that there are often complaints from the public about the unhygienic environment and food offered to patients by State hospitals and rowdy and unfriendly behaviour of staff. The Government cannot offer quality, free health services to the public without changing these negative conditions. According to Rajapaksa, another accusation against the Health Ministry is the low quality of cancer drugs. The Health Department staff can forward proposals to rectify these shortcomings and create a more people-friendly health service.
Health Ministry Secretary Ms. Wasantha Perera said that the Health Ministry needs Rs. 73 billion per year to pay salaries to Health Department staff and Rs. 45 billion to purchase drugs.