The government plans to recruit 13,600 nurses to the public health service between 2025 and 2029, with nearly half of that target expected to be achieved before the end of this year, Health and Mass Media Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa announced.
The minister made the remarks while attending a ceremony at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute to award appointments to 515 Bachelor of Science (BSc) Nursing graduates.
The graduates were appointed as Grade III Nursing Officers after completing their nursing degrees at state universities and successfully undergoing a six-month Nursing Orientation and Coordination Training programme conducted at 31 government hospitals across the country.
Under the Health Ministry’s recruitment programme, the newly appointed nurses will be assigned to vacancies at national hospitals, teaching hospitals and district general hospitals managed by the central government.
Minister Jayatissa said the latest appointments represent a significant step towards achieving the government’s five-year recruitment target. A further 2,867 nursing appointments are scheduled for October, which will bring total recruitment under the programme to approximately 50 percent of the overall target.
The government had already recruited 3,441 nursing graduates from nursing schools last year. With the addition of the 515 newly appointed officers, a total of 3,956 nurses have joined the public health service over the past year.
According to the ministry, the total number of nursing appointments made during 2025 and 2026 is expected to reach 6,823. A further 1,949 recruits are scheduled to receive appointments in 2028, while another 2,920 are expected to join the service by mid-2029.
The recruitment initiative forms part of the government’s broader efforts to address staffing shortages, strengthen the healthcare workforce, and support the future expansion of health services in line with international standards.
The latest intake is also notable as it marks the first recruitment of BSc Nursing graduates to Grade III nursing positions since 2021.
