Marking a transformative milestone in Sri Lanka’s journey toward safer, higher‑quality healthcare, the Patient Safety & Accreditation Bureau (PSAB) of the Ministry of Health & Mass Media, formally launched three national policy and strategic documents on 12 March 2026: the National Policy on Infection Prevention and Control (2026–2035), the National Strategic Plan on Healthcare Quality and Safety (2026–2030), and the National Action Plan on Medication Safety (2026–2030). A video on the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist was also unveiled, reflecting Sri Lanka’s renewed commitment to strengthening surgical safety across all hospitals. The event brought together senior health officials, heads of institutions, professional associations, and technical experts.
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The National Policy on Infection Prevention and Control (2026–2035), provides a comprehensive framework to prevent healthcare‑associated infections and reduce antimicrobial resistance across all levels of care. The policy introduces strengthened governance mechanisms, sustainable financing, facility‑level Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) programmes, and multimodal strategies that combine behavioural change, system improvements, monitoring, and communication.
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The National Strategic Plan on Healthcare Quality and Safety (2026–2030) outlines seven strategic objectives focusing on governance, safety culture, standardized safety practices, patient‑centeredness, workforce competence, strong data systems, and multisectoral partnerships. It provides a national roadmap to strengthen governance for quality and safety, embed patient safety practices across all levels of care, build a culture of safety and continuous improvements, and improve patient experience and health outcomes.
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Sri Lanka’s National Action Plan on Medication Safety (2026–2030) adopts a system‑wide approach to reduce medication‑related errors across the full medication use pathway from prescribing to dispensing to administration and monitoring. The action plan builds on earlier progress and introduces a strengthened framework to eliminate error‑prone abbreviations, promote rational prescribing, improve labelling and storage, enhance surveillance, and empower patients through improved counselling and literacy.
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The launch of the Surgical Safety Checklist video highlights the country’s commitment to reducing preventable surgical complications. The video reinforces that the checklist is not just a procedural requirement but a tool to improve teamwork, communication, and reliability in surgical care.
World Health Organization (WHO) facilitated the development of each of the above technical products by providing support across all three-levels of the Organization. The “Global Patient Safety Collaborative”, a joint initiative of WHO and the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, was a key component of this support.
Addressing the gathering, Dr Anil Jasinghe, Secretary, Ministry of Health & Mass Media appreciated the strong support provided by WHO.
"We are now in the path of launching the accreditation process of healthcare institutions in Sri Lanka which will lead to improvement in patient safety and quality of care. The Patient Safety & Accreditation Bureau should now steer the development of annual action plans at national and sub-national levels based on the new National Strategic Plan on Healthcare Quality and Safety and support its implementation.”
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The World Health Organization Representative to Sri Lanka, Dr Rajesh Pandav in his remarks commended Sri Lanka for aligning national strategies with global WHO frameworks, and underscored that the documents launched offer a coherent, evidence‑based roadmap to build safer, more resilient, and more patient‑centered health services.
“Patient Safety is not only a clinical issue. It is a fundamental pillar of quality health services, resilient health systems and universal health coverage. Today’s launch of the four important national initiatives marks a significant milestone in Sri Lanka’s efforts to strengthen the safety and quality of healthcare. It demonstrates Sri Lanka’s strong commitment to advance patient safety in line with the global priorities.”
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Dr Irina Papieva, Technical Officer, Quality of Care, Patient Safety and IPC Team, WHO Headquarters, and Dr Aparna Singh Shah, Regional Advisor, Blood safety & Transplantation, IPC, Patient safety, Quality of care, WHO Regional Office for South-East Asia also joined the event. Dr Papieva commended the Ministry of Health for the remarkable work undertaken to advance patient safety in the country.
“The initiatives being launched today reflect strong leadership, sustained commitment and a clear vision for strengthening patient safety and quality of care, which is about protecting people, preserving dignity and strengthening trust in the health system”.
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The launch of key national resources on healthcare quality and patient safety marks the beginning of a new era in Sri Lanka’s commitment to advancing safer care. Together, they form a unified strategic direction which places people at the center of care, ensuring that everyone receives safe, respectful, and high‑quality healthcare. /countries/sri-lanka/advance-healthcare-quality-and-patient-safety-9.jpg?sfvrsn=500fcdb5_1 "Advance Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety-9")
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