Health Ministry fails to meet most sustainable development targets, Audit shows

Colombo, November 14 (Daily Mirror) - The latest audit report from the National Audit Office shows that the Health Ministry has failed to report progress on 26 out of 42 sustainable development indicators assigned to it.

Chairman of the Federation of Doctors' Trade Unions for Medical and Civil Rights, Dr. Chamal Sanjeewa said even the indicators where progress was reported did not reach the required performance levels.

One of the key indicators, SDG 3.2.1, requires Sri Lanka to reduce deaths of children under five to seven per 1,000 live births by 2030. However, the current rate is 12.2.

The infant mortality rate, which should be reduced to four per 1,000 live births by 2030, now stands at 7.2.

The audit also found that deaths caused by waterborne diseases, which should be reduced to zero by 2030, have instead increased to 20—up from 16 in 2023.

Similarly, cases of malaria related to Barawa disease, which should also be maintained at zero, have risen sharply to 1,109.

The number of leishmaniasis patients, which should be kept at fewer than one per 100,000 people, has climbed to 4,448, according to the report.

Another major concern is immunization. While the target is to achieve 100 percent infant vaccination by 2030, the rate was only 96.7 percent last year. Blood pressure control, which should also be at 100 percent, is currently at just 65 percent.

Dr. Sanjeewa says the findings show the need for stronger focus on primary healthcare. He stressed that policymakers must improve staffing levels and upgrade health infrastructure to meet future targets.