• Nine vehicles and fuel quota issued to the personal staff of Min. of Health and Mass Media
• Argues that ministries are bigger than before, and vehicles offered are less in number than before

Despite the current Government’s pledge to curtail privileges for parliamentarians, ministers, and other government officials, the Ministry of Health has allocated nine double cabs and cars for the personal staff of the Cabinet and Deputy Ministers of Health and Mass Media, with a monthly fuel allocation of close to 2,000 litres, it is learned.

Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa and Dr. Hansaka Wijemuni are serving as the Cabinet Minister and Deputy Minister of Health and Mass Media, respectively.

The National People’s Power (NPP) representatives including its leader and President Anura Kumara Dissanayake have long pledged to curtail privileges granted to politicians including that of vehicles and certain allowances.

However, several letters issued by Health Ministry officials, including the Deputy Director General (Procurement), Director (Transport), and Additional Secretary (Administration), between December 2024 and February 2025, which were seen by The Daily Morning, reveal that vehicles, drivers, and monthly fuel provisions have been allocated to many personal staff members of the two Cabinet and Deputy Ministers.

For the Cabinet Minister of Health and Mass Media, several staff members have been allocated vehicles with monthly fuel provisions. According to these documents, Coordinating Secretary Priyanka Nirmala de Silva, has been assigned a cab vehicle (PE 0948), Media Secretary Deepthi Wijethunga, has been provided a cab vehicle (PG 1405), Public Relations Officer Himashi Karunaratne, has been allocated a cab (PG 1422), and Coordinating Secretary Nishanthi Silva, has been assigned a cab vehicle (PG 0611).

All four staff members can receive a total of 852 litres of diesel per month, with each allocated 213 litres.

Staff members for the Deputy Minister have also been allocated vehicles with monthly fuel provisions. Three Coordinating Secretaries to the Deputy Minister have been allocated vehicles with a monthly fuel provision of 213 litres of diesel each. Nalin Eranda Pitiyekumbura has been assigned a cab (PH 1234), Mahesha Danwatte Liyanage has been given a cab vehicle (PD 3139), and Upul Ranjan Abeynayake has been provided a car (KR 6766). Additionally, Media Secretary to the Deputy Minister Sagara Perera, has been assigned a cab (PG 1409) with 213 litres of diesel per month, and Personal Secretary Vajira Priyadarshani Pieris has been provided a car (KX 7904) with a monthly fuel allocation of 235 litres of petrol. The staff members of the Deputy Minister collectively receive 1,087 litres of diesel.

When contacted, Dr. Wijemuni said that the Health and Mass Media Ministry is now much larger than it was during the previous governments. “The Ministries of Health Indigenous Medicine, Postal Services, and Mass Media used to be separate ministries in the past, but they are coming under one ministry now. To facilitate coordination across these ministries, our staff is frequently deployed to various locations. Coordination work is essential, and to carry out these tasks effectively, a certain number of vehicles are required. We did not purchase new vehicles, our officers have been provided with older double cabs. These vehicles are not used for personal purposes.”

He also said that only officials with the authority to use vehicles have been assigned to them. “Previously, certain ministers used three or four vehicles, but we, as ministers, have only acquired one vehicle. Although we use super-type fuel for that vehicle, we are being provided with an allowance at rates of normal fuel. There is no legal impediment to using these vehicles for official matters, and there is nothing improper in doing so. The allocation of these vehicles has been done in full compliance with the law.”

Both Minister Dr. Jayatissa and Health Ministry Secretary Dr. Anil Jasinghe were unavailable for comment.