The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $106.9 million financing package aimed at strengthening Sri Lanka’s secondary curative care services, enhancing communicable disease prevention and control, and improving governance and management within the health care sector. This funding, part of the Strengthening Integrated Health Care and Governance for Universal Health Coverage Program, includes a $100 million loan from ADB and a $6.9 million grant from the Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, and Response Trust Fund.
ADB’s Country Director for Sri Lanka, Takafumi Kadono, acknowledged Sri Lanka’s progress in providing access to quality health services but emphasized the growing challenges posed by an aging population and rising noncommunicable diseases. These changes necessitate a more robust secondary care system capable of delivering patient-centered treatments with improved case management and capacity.
The program, structured as Results Based Lending, seeks to improve the quality, capacity, and efficiency of secondary care services nationwide by supporting hospital development focused on results. It will expand integrated and patient-centered surgical and specialist treatments in secondary hospitals. Additionally, the initiative aims to position secondary care as the first referral point in patient pathways by enhancing collaboration and resource sharing with primary health care facilities and other government services. Infrastructure and service processes will be upgraded with attention to quality of care, climate resilience, gender responsiveness, and elderly-friendly approaches.
Further, the program will strengthen Sri Lanka’s pandemic preparedness by establishing a center for disease control, enhancing public health laboratory capacity and accreditation, and implementing integrated cross-sectoral disease surveillance. It also includes measures to improve pharmaceutical logistics, quality assurance, digitalize government procurement, and promote good procurement practices, reinforcing integrity across the pharmaceutical regulatory and supply chain sectors.
These health system improvements are expected to benefit the entire population of Sri Lanka by enabling healthier individuals to engage more fully in educational and economic opportunities, thereby supporting broader societal development. Founded in 1966, the ADB is a leading multilateral development bank owned by 69 members, including 50 from the Asia-Pacific region, dedicated to fostering inclusive, resilient, and sustainable growth through innovative financial solutions and partnerships.
