Although many Sri Lankans are gradually getting used to living with the impacts of the economic crisis, certain impacts are likely to last longer and affect more than anticipated. The difficulties faced by the country’s health sector are one such impact, which continue to affect the people despite various efforts by the Government and health authorities. 

Owing to the Government’s inability to procure the necessary resources, i.e. medicines and medical equipment, Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella recently stated that on the advice of medical professionals, non-urgent or non-essential surgeries would be postponed and that only urgent surgeries would be given priority. This decision attracted the attention of many parties, especially medical professional bodies such as the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA), who questioned the rationale behind this decision and how it would impact service seekers.

This decision comes in a context where the health sector is finding it difficult to obtain essential imported medicines and medical equipment, which has affected many that seek the services of the public health sector. Following the above-mentioned decision, the general public question how the Government defines urgent or non-urgent surgeries, because, according to them, those waiting to undergo surgeries also have a right to decide how urgent or essential their surgeries are. Therefore, even though the Government’s decision could be justified on the basis of the crisis that has befallen the health sector, an important part of this decision should be supporting service seekers to acclimatise to the impacts of this decision.

If the health authorities are not in a position to perform surgeries, which are a part of the treatment for a large number of health issues including non-communicable diseases (NCDs), it is crucial that they pay attention to strengthening the prevention aspect of the health sector which could, in turn, reduce the need for surgeries. In fact, proper prevention strategies could also improve the overall health of Sri Lankans and that could be immensely beneficial in the long run. Therefore, the Government and health authorities should pay attention to preventing the increase or occurrence of health issues. This is applicable to both communicable diseases and NCDs.

The health authorities should prioritise raising awareness on the importance of preventing health issues, precautions that the people could employ, identifying symptoms of diseases, the importance of early detection and early treatment, and good health habits. Units of the Health Ministry such as the Health Promotion Bureau, Public Health Inspectors, and also various public and private social media platforms that discuss health and nutrition-related matters could be a part of these initiatives. At the same time, strengthening the primary healthcare system with a focus on raising awareness and promoting good health practices could play a pivotal role in this process. 

At the end of the day, one of the Government’s primary duties is to find solutions to issues, and in this case, provisionally halting surgeries it deems non-essential or non-urgent is only a part of the solution. If the Government or health authorities are unable to provide the necessary treatments, then prevention and early treatment are the next best course of action.