Dambulla hospital transfer approved for upgrade

By Poojathmi Rivithma

Colombo, April 28 (Daily Mirror) - The Cabinet of Ministers has approved a proposal to transfer the Dambulla Base Hospital from the Central Provincial Council to the Ministry of Health and Mass Media to facilitate its development and upgrading.

The hospital, classified as a ‘Type A’ facility, is currently administered by the Central Provincial Council and provides healthcare services to an estimated population of around 230,000 across the districts of Matale, Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, and Kurunegala. It offers both primary care and specialist medical services, with a bed capacity of 354.

The proposal is in line with the Dambulla Development Master Plan (2022–2032), which identifies the need to relocate the hospital to a new site to ensure improved infrastructure and adequate space to meet the rising demand for quality public healthcare services. The relocation would also enable the existing land to be utilised for economic development purposes.

Approximately five acres of land have already been acquired for the proposed relocation. The estimated cost of the project is around Rs. 5 billion.

As the Central Provincial Council is unable to bear the financial burden, the Governor has granted consent to transfer the hospital to the Central Government to proceed with the development.

Accordingly, the Cabinet approved the resolution submitted by the Minister of Health and Mass Media to bring the Dambulla Base Hospital under the purview of the Ministry.