30% of police personnel suffer from non-communicable diseases - Health Minister

Stresses that, given the heavy responsibilities entrusted to the police, ensuring their good health is essential for maintaining effective law and order  

Nearly 30 percent of Sri Lanka Police personnel suffer from non-communicable diseases (NCDs), the highest percentage among all state institutions, the Health and Mass Media Minister said yesterday.  

Highlighting the severity of the issue, the Minister noted that many police officers also lose their lives while in service due to such illnesses, underscoring the urgent need for preventive care and wellbeing initiatives.   

Against this backdrop, the government has launched the first programme dedicated to improving the health and wellbeing of state sector employees and their families, with the inaugural phase focusing on police officers. The programme is being rolled out in the Gampaha District, with activities centred in Ja-Ela.  

Sri Lanka’s public service employs nearly 1.6 million individuals, of whom about 84,000 serve in the police department. The Minister stressed that, given the heavy responsibilities entrusted to the police, ensuring their good health is essential for maintaining effective law and order.   

He added that the combination of high exposure to NCDs and the critical nature of their duties were the two main reasons the programme was first directed towards police personnel.