The Health Ministry’s Tertiary Care Services Director Dr. Priyantha Atapattu informed the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) that 83 specialist doctors who went abroad without informing the Ministry have been issued notices of abandonment of service.

The COPA met under the Chairmanship of State Minister Lasantha Alagiyawanna recently to discuss the matter.

Dr. Atapattu explained the procedure in such instances, stating that a letter will be issued to doctors who have gone abroad to return and that if they do not return within a month after the letter is issued, the order to leave the service will be issued. 

Further, he mentioned that 677 doctors had gone for training abroad by 31 May of this year (2023) and that they should return in the next two years.

Health Services Director General Dr. Asela Gunawardena, who commented on this matter, said: "We cannot tell until these people arrive." He said that if these specialist doctors do not return, then small hospitals may be affected. Dr. Gunawardena also said that another 612 doctors are preparing to go abroad for training. “The specialist doctors are actually going abroad because of the economic crisis, and finding funds for children's studies is another hope,” he added. Moreover, 300 doctors have migrated this year. He said that there should be 2,799 specialists, but that currently, there are only 2,148 and that there is a shortage of 651 specialists in the island.