The Hon. (Dr.) Hansaka Wijemuni - Deputy Minister of Health

Deputy Minister of Health Dr. Hansaka Wijemuni outlined two mechanisms the Ministry has established to regulate medicine and surgical device costs. First, a legal framework has been put in place to impose ceiling prices based on CIF (Cost, Insurance, and Freight) values, from which maximum retail prices are determined. Second, for high-cost devices, a named-patient prescription system is in operation, whereby a specialist's confirmation triggers procurement through the Medical Supplies Division, with the device channelled directly to the relevant clinic or ward in the patient's name.

The Deputy Minister of Health acknowledged the existence of a communication gap in healthcare services for persons with disabilities, noting that staff training in sign language and other communication methods has already commenced and will be expanded. On the issue of requiring external caregivers for admitted patients with disabilities, the Deputy Minister stated that Ministry policy is for hospital staff themselves to provide necessary care, and that the current practice of insisting on caregivers in some hospitals stems from staff being diverted to minor duties rather than their designated roles. The Ministry is conducting a hospital-by-hospital review to address this administrative problem and work toward a system that eliminates the need for external caregivers.

## Summary Deputy Minister of Health Dr. Hansaka Wijemuni responded on behalf of the Minister of Health to a parliamentary question concerning healthcare access for persons with disabilities. The response outlined a comprehensive set of planned and ongoing measures across four areas: improving physical accessibility and sanitary facilities in hospitals; strengthening clinical access through priority token systems, audio-visual information formats, and assistive device manufacturing; developing staff capacity through sign language training, disability awareness programmes, and recruitment of allied health professionals including physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and prosthetists. The Deputy Minister acknowledged the absence of a uniform national mechanism to identify persons with disabilities upon entry to medical institutions, noting that case-by-case instructions are currently in place, while clarifying that financial assistance programmes for medicines and tests fall under the Ministry of Rural Development rather than the Ministry of Health.