# Ministry of Health (Sri Lanka)

The Ministry of Health (Sinhala: සෞඛ්‍ය අමාත්‍යාංශය, romanized: Saukhya Amāthyānshaya; Tamil: சுகாதார அமைச்சு, romanized: Cukātāra Amaiccu) is the central government ministry of Sri Lanka responsible for health. The ministry is responsible for formulating and implementing national policy on health, nutrition, indigenous medicine and other subjects which come under its purview.
Provincial councils are constitutionally responsible for operating the majority of the Sri Lanka's public hospitals but some, known as line ministry hospitals, come under the direct control of the central government in Colombo. As of 2016 there were 47 line ministry hospitals (including all of the country's teaching hospitals), accounting for 47% (36,000) of all public hospital beds in the country.
The current Minister of Health portfolio is held by Prime Minister Dr Harini Amarasuriya since 2024.

## Ministers

The Minister of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine is a member of the Cabinet of Sri Lanka.

### Parties

Governors of British Ceylon United National Party Sri Lanka Freedom Party Viplavakari Lanka Sama Samaja Party Eelam People's Democratic Party Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna National People's Power
Ministers of Health :
| Name | Party | Took office | Left office | Head of government | Ministerial title |
| T. B. Panabokke | | 1931 | 1931 | | Minister of Health |
| W. A. de Silva | | 1936 | 1946 | | Minister of Health |
| S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike | United National Party | 26 September 1947 | 12 July 1951 | D. S. Senanayake | Minister of Health and Local Government |
| Dudley Senanayake | United National Party | 1952 | | Dudley Senanayake | Minister of Health and Local Government |
| E. A. Nugawela | | | | Dudley Senanayake | Minister of Health |
| E. A. Nugawela | | | | John Kotelawala | Minister of Health |
| Vimala Wijewardene | Sri Lanka Freedom Party | 12 April 1956 | June 1959 | S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike | Minister of Health |
| A. P. Jayasuriya | | 26 September 1959 | 8 December 1959 | W. Dahanayake | Minister of Health |
| M. V. P. Peiris | | 23 March 1960 | 1960 | Dudley Senanayake | Minister of Health and Social Services |
| A. P. Jayasuriya | | 23 July 1960 | | Sirimavo Bandaranaike | Minister of Health |
| Badi-ud-din Mahmud | | 28 May 1963 | | Sirimavo Bandaranaike | Minister of Health and Housing |
| M. D. H. Jayawardena | United National Party | | | Dudley Senanayake | Minister of Health |
| George Rajapaksa | Sri Lanka Freedom Party | | | Sirimavo Bandaranaike | Minister of Health |
| Siva Obeyesekere | Sri Lanka Freedom Party | 1976 | 1977 | Sirimavo Bandaranaike | Minister of Health |
| Ranjit Atapattu | United National Party | 1982 | 1989 | J. R. Jayewardene | Minister of Health |
| Sunethra Ranasinghe | United National Party | 1983 | 1985 | J. R. Jayewardene | Minister of Health |
| Sunethra Ranasinghe | United National Party | 1985 | 1989 | J. R. Jayewardene | Minister of Women's Affairs and Teaching Hospitals |
| Renuka Herath | United National Party | 1989 | 1994 | Ranasinghe Premadasa | Minister of Health and Women's Affairs |
| A. H. M. Fowzie | Sri Lanka Freedom Party | 1994 | | D. B. Wijetunga | Minister of Health and Social Services |
| A. H. M. Fowzie | Sri Lanka Freedom Party | | | Chandrika Kumaratunga | Minister of Health, Highways and Social Services |
| John Seneviratne | Sri Lanka Freedom Party | 19 October 2000 | | Chandrika Kumaratunga | Minister of Health |
| P. Dayaratna | United National Party | 12 December 2001 | | Chandrika Kumaratunga | Minister of Health, Nutrition and Welfare |
| Nimal Siripala de Silva | Sri Lanka Freedom Party | 14 September 2001 | 10 April 2004 | Chandrika Kumaratunga | Minister of Health, Indigenous Medicine and Social Services |
| Nimal Siripala de Silva | Sri Lanka Freedom Party | 10 April 2004 | 23 November 2005 | Chandrika Kumaratunga | Minister of Healthcare, Nutrition and Uva-Wellassa Development |
| Nimal Siripala de Silva | Sri Lanka Freedom Party | 23 November 2005 | 23 April 2010 | Mahinda Rajapaksa | Minister of Healthcare and Nutrition |
| Maithripala Sirisena | Sri Lanka Freedom Party | 23 April 2010 | 21 November 2014 | Mahinda Rajapaksa | Minister of Health |
| Tissa Attanayake | United National Party | 11 December 2014 | 12 January 2015 | Mahinda Rajapaksa | Minister of Health |
| Rajitha Senaratne | Sri Lanka Freedom Party | 12 January 2015 | 17 August 2015 | Maithripala Sirisena | Minister of Health and Indigenous Medicine |
| Rajitha Senaratne | United National Party | 4 September 2015 | 21 November 2019 | Maithripala Sirisena | Minister of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine |
| Pavithra Devi Wanniarachchi | Sri Lanka Freedom Party | 22 November 2019 | 12 August 2020 | Gotabaya Rajapaksa | Minister of Healthcare and Indigenous Medical Services |
| Pavithra Devi Wanniarachchi | Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna | 12 August 2020 | 18 April 2022 | Gotabaya Rajapaksa | Minister of Health |
| Channa Jayasumana | Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna | 18 April 2022 | 9 May 2022 | Gotabaya Rajapaksa | Minister of Health |
| Keheliya Rambukwella | Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna | 23 May 2022 | 22 July 2022 | Gotabaya Rajapaksa | Minister of Health |
| Keheliya Rambukwella | Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna | 22 July 2022 | 23 October 2023 | Ranil Wickremesinghe | Minister of Health and Water Supply |
| Ramesh Pathirana | Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna | 23 October 2023 | 24 September 2024 | Ranil Wickremesinghe | Minister of Health |
| Harini Amarasuriya | National People's Power | 24 September 2024 | 18 November 2024 | Anura Kumara Dissanayake | Minister of Health |
| Nalinda Jayatissa | National People's Power | 18 November 2024 | Incumbent | Anura Kumara Dissanayake | Minister of Health and Mass Media |

## Secretaries

Health Secretaries :
| Name | Took office | Title |
| T. R. C. Ruberu | 25 April 2010 | Health Secretary |
| Y. D. Nihal Jayathilaka | 12 July 2012 | Health Secretary |
| W. Sudharma Karunaratne | 29 May 2014 | Health Secretary |
| D. M. R. B. Dissanayake | 19 January 2015 | Health and Indigenous Medicine Secretary |
| Upali Marasinghe | 8 September 2015 | Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine Secretary |
| P. H. J. B. Sugathadasa | 16 June 2017 | Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine Secretary |