July 17, Colombo (LNW): State Finance Minister Dr. Ranjith Siyambalapitiya announced yesterday that the President’s Fund has increased the financial assistance provided to patients from 50% to 100%, ensuring that payments are made within a week of receiving the application.
The State Finance Minister made these remarks while responding to questions from journalists at a ceremony held in Kegalle yesterday to present scholarships and school bags to selected schoolchildren in the district. Over 3,750 schoolchildren benefited from this programme.
“Every patient receives 100% of the required funds, with payments processed within a week of receiving the application,” he said.
Siyambalapitiya added that the President’s Fund provides scholarships to 11,600 children in need across the country. “Two years ago, the President’s Fund primarily focused on health, particularly heart surgery patients. In 2022, there were 8,000 requests from kidney patients and all funds were disbursed,” he said.
He added that the President’s Fund has selected deserving schoolchildren for the Presidential Scholarship Programme through a transparent process. Children from Kegalle, Mawanella, and Dehiowita areas have been chosen through the intervention of regional offices. “This change needs to be established across the country,” he said.
The ceremony was attended by North Central Province Governor Mahipala Herath, Foreign Affairs State Minister Tharaka Balasuriya, MPs Rajika Wickramasinghe, Udayakantha Gunathilaka, and Sudath Manjula, Sabaragamuwa Provincial Education Director Darshani Iddamalgoda, and Kegalle District Secretary Ranjana Jayasinghe, among others.
