Appointments for 9 new Deputy Director Generals, including the Director positions of the Colombo-Kandy-Galle National Hospital Triad.

Strengthening administrative activities in Sri Lanka's health sector, appointment letters have been handed over to nine new Deputy Directors General of the Ministry of Health, including director positions at Colombo, Kandy, and Galle National Hospitals. These appointment letters were officially handed over on the morning of the 11th at the Ministry of Health and Mass Media premises, and all these appointments have been made effective from the 12th.

New officers were recruited for these high-level positions, which had been vacant for a long time, based on interviews conducted by the Ministry of Health last May. Due to the failure to fill these Deputy Director General positions for a long period of about seven to eight years, the management and administrative activities of many health institutions, including major hospitals, had been at a collapsed level until now. A group of senior medical administrators with extensive experience in the health sector has been appointed to these new positions.

Joining the occasion, Minister of Health and Mass Media, Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa, stated that this is the most important step taken by the Ministry to maintain a proper health service for the people of this country during the past one and a half years. The Minister also pointed out that this can be described as a significant turning point for the Ministry of Health. He emphasized that throughout the past period, the Ministry had focused on rectifying shortcomings in the system, and now that a strong foundation has been laid for future operations, the primary responsibility for building future development upon that foundation rests with this new team of officers.

The Minister stated that due to various laws and regulations enacted by the government after 2024, a conducive environment has been created for the proper execution of current administrative tasks. He urged the new officers not to seek personal prominence but to work as a collective team to provide the maximum service for the country. Furthermore, Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa stated that the Ministry has created the necessary free environment for these officers to carry out their duties independently, and he assured that there would be no political interference of any kind in their work.

Speaking at the event, Secretary to the Ministry of Health and Mass Media, Specialist Doctor Anil Jasinghe, stated that the positions of Deputy Director General are like the backbone of the entire process of the Ministry of Health. Since all appointed officers are highly experienced in the field, the Secretary reminded them that they should fully understand the national responsibility entrusted to them and work to provide the maximum and proper service for the public of this country.

The new officers who received appointment letters are: Specialist Doctor M.K.S. Indika Kumara as Deputy Director General of Sri Lanka National Hospital, Specialist Doctor P.D.S. Kiriwandeniya as Deputy Director General of Medical Services I, Specialist Doctor Chandana Gajanayake as Deputy Director General of Dental Services, Specialist Doctor K.D.P. Wijesinghe as Deputy Director General of Education, Training and Research, Specialist Doctor K.A.D.D.V.L. Kumarapeli as Deputy Director General of Public Health II, Specialist Doctor Priyantha Athapaththu as Deputy Director General of Galle National Hospital, Specialist Doctor S.P.A.L. Ranaweera as Deputy Director General of Medical Supplies, Specialist Doctor M.N. Weerasooriya as Deputy Director General of Kandy National Hospital, and Specialist Doctor H.M.A. Thilakarathne as Deputy Director General of Laboratory Services.

For this special appointment ceremony, Additional Secretaries of the Ministry of Health, including Specialist Doctor Kumara Wickramasinghe, Janaka Kithsiri Gunawardena, Chamika H. Gamage, K.P. Yogachandra, and Samanthi Ranasinghe, along with a group of high-ranking officials from the Ministry, were also present.