Over 4,600 Sri Lankan Health Professionals Have Migrated Since 2022 – Health Minister

Sri Lanka’s Minister of Health, Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa, has revealed that over 4,600 health professionals have migrated overseas between 2022 and 2025, including 726 consultants, 1,116 medical officers, and nearly 2,800 nursing officers.

He made the remarks while addressing the Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly (WHA78) of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland, under the theme One World for Health.

“Sri Lanka has had to bear significant financial losses after investing to produce our own health professionals,” the Minister stated.

Minister Jayatissa stressed that the migration of trained medical staff is not just a national concern, but a global one. “I stress the need to address the concerns due to the health workforce migration affecting global health,” he said.

He urged destination countries to take greater responsibility and to adhere to the WHO Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel, which promotes ethical recruitment and sustainability in health systems.