Sri Lanka has introduced its first-ever national guidelines on the use of oxygen in government hospitals, under the patronage of Minister of Health Nalinda Jayatissa.  

The initiative, developed by the Ministry of Health (MOH) with support from UNICEF, aims to standardize oxygen administration in patient care and enhance the technical knowledge of medical administrators, specialists, and health professionals.  

The guidelines were compiled under the leadership of Additional Secretary (Medical Services) Kumara Wickramasinghe and were officially handed over to Minister Jayatissa during the launch event in Colombo.  

As part of the rollout, a series of training programmes has begun, with 100 health professionals, including specialist doctors, receiving training. These trained professionals will then conduct further training at district and provincial levels to ensure uniform practices across all hospitals nationwide.  

Addressing the event, Minister Jayatissa highlighted the significant annual expenditure on hospital oxygen and expressed confidence that the new guidelines and training initiatives will improve the quality and organization of patient care across Sri Lanka.