Namal defends public’s right to seek hospital treatment

Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna Member of Parliament Namal Rajapaksa has declared that the government must not suppress the public’s right to seek hospital treatment, responding to recent comments made by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

Speaking after being brought to Parliament in a prison bus under heavy security, the remanded lawmaker criticised suggestions that citizens should reduce their medical visits and rely on traditional remedies. "President Dissanayake has said the annual visits to hospitals in Sri Lanka is found to be 80 million. He has told the people to use traditional medicines such as Coriander instead of seeking hospital treatment. This is a suppression of the people’s right to seek hospital treatment," Namal Rajapaksa said.

The opposition MP stressed that rural populations depend entirely on local state facilities. "Village people cannot afford luxurious hospitals like the Ministers," he noted.

Addressing broader health crises, Namal Rajapaksa raised concerns over widespread medicine shortages alongside escalating disease rates. "There is a shortage of life-saving drugs, including those which are used for cancer patients. Also, the number of dengue cases has exceeded 100,000. The government should supply these life-saving drugs," he said.

He further questioned the status of key election commitments, specifically asking what had become of government pledges to construct 50 new universities.