• Plans to assign some recruits to tourism

Steps will be taken to promptly grant appointments to 304 Ayurvedic doctors, as approval for these appointments has already been granted, Minister of Health Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa said.

Dr. Jayatissa further stated that while there are over 1,000 doctors in the field of Ayurveda, not all of them can be absorbed into the State service.

These remarks were made during a special meeting held following an inspection visit by him to the Kaithady Siddha Teaching Hospital in Jaffna, which operates under the Department of Indigenous Medicine of the Ministry of Health.

He noted that after providing residential training to these doctors, opportunities could be created for them to work either locally or abroad. Additionally, there is consideration being given to whether a portion of them could later be recruited by the Government and assigned to the tourism sector.

Meanwhile, Dr. Jayatissa emphasised that the ministry is responsible not only for Western medicine but also for indigenous systems like Ayurveda, Siddha, and Unani. He pointed out that in the current Budget, a larger allocation has been made for the indigenous medical sector compared to Western medicine.