May 16, Colombo (LNW): At the 2025 International Nurses Day celebration held in Kandy, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya called for urgent attention to be given to improving the safety, working conditions, and overall wellbeing of women in the nursing profession.
The event, organised by the All Ceylon Nurses’ Union under the theme “Our Nurses, Our Future – Investing in Nursing Strengthens the Economy”, was attended by healthcare professionals, union leaders, and government officials.
Speaking at the Karaliya Hall, the Prime Minister emphasised that ensuring workplace safety extends beyond fair remuneration. It includes creating environments that protect women from exploitative conditions, social isolation, and unsafe work schedules.
Citing a moving personal account of a nurse who had worked two consecutive night shifts and barely had time to see her family, Amarasuriya highlighted the strain placed on many female health workers.
“Ninety percent of the nursing workforce consists of women, yet we must ask how and why this has happened. Is it societal expectation or systemic design?” she asked. “We have to stop seeing women as merely suited for caregiving roles and instead start building systems that support them to thrive both professionally and personally.”
The Prime Minister added that unsafe transport during night shifts, isolation in rural placements, and institutional pressures are real concerns that make workplaces hazardous for many women. She argued for structural changes that would allow women to balance their family responsibilities without sacrificing professional aspirations.
“We should not just be building an economy through nurses. We must build an economy that strengthens nurses. Their lives, happiness, and choices must matter just as much as economic productivity,” she asserted.
Dr. Amarasuriya also emphasised the need for supportive policies such as flexible working hours, better childcare support, secure transport, and an overall social environment that uplifts women professionals. She reflected on her own visits to hospitals following a recent bus accident in Garadiella and shared her admiration for the commitment of Sri Lankan nurses.
The commemorative event also saw the launch of the nursing-focused magazine ‘Hedakama’, presented to the Prime Minister and Health and Mass Media Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa.
Minister Jayatissa used the occasion to outline key reforms underway in Sri Lanka’s health system. With the country facing a rapidly ageing population and rising non-communicable diseases, he announced plans to establish 1,000 new primary outpatient care centres and significantly expand the nursing workforce.
“We are looking to recruit 3,147 nurses this year, along with 305 public health degree holders,” he said. “Our goal is to increase the current 40,000-strong nursing workforce to 60,000.”
Jayatissa also affirmed that the government would begin systematic degree-awarding for nurses through joint efforts by the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Higher Education.
The move follows policy decisions taken at a recent meeting chaired by the Prime Minister, aimed at professionalising the nursing sector and improving career advancement opportunities.
The event was attended by several high-profile guests, including Deputy Minister Hansaka Wijemuni, Professor Damayanthi Dasanayake of the University of Peradeniya, and All Ceylon Nurses’ Union President Ravindra Kahandawaarachchi.
The 2025 International Nurses Day, commemorating the 205th birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale, served as a powerful platform to highlight the often invisible burdens carried by nurses—particularly women—and the need to reimagine healthcare not just as a system of services, but as one that also serves those who provide care.
