CT and MRI testing facilities in government hospitals through public-private partnership

The demand for advanced diagnostic services in Sri Lankan state hospitals has grown significantly. With the spread of non-communicable diseases, the need for high-tech tests such as CT scans, MRI scans, DSA, and cardiac catheterization has rapidly increased among patients.

In light of this situation, as a remedy for the deficiencies in these services within the public health sector, the Ministry of Health has taken steps to introduce a new methodology.

However, due to the limited number of equipment available within the government hospital system, patients have had to remain on long waiting lists to obtain these tests. This has led to treatment delays and caused significant inconvenience to patients. Furthermore, the purchase and maintenance of such high-tech equipment require substantial financial allocations, and due to existing financial constraints and complex procurement processes, providing swift solutions to this problem has become challenging.

Considering the aforementioned challenges, the government has decided to procure these diagnostic services under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. Under this program, a performance-based payment mechanism will be implemented for service providers. A formal and transparent procurement process is to be followed for this. It is expected that this new methodology will enable the provision of more efficient, prompt, and quality services to patients.