The Government of Sri Lanka held discussions with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to mobilize a loan amounting to USD 100 million, coupled with an externally financed grant amounting to USD 6.9 million from the Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response Trust Fund (Pandemic Fund) for the Implementation of the Strengthening Integrated Health Care and Governance for Universal Health Coverage Program under the result-based lending modality.

The above loan of USD 100 million under the Regular Ordinary Capital Resources of ADB will be obtained to support national strategic framework for the development of health services for improved efficiency and quality of secondary health services as first referral care for ensuring universal health coverage, according to the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development. 

Further, this program comprises of three outputs which will mainly focus on (i) enhancing first referral care services, (ii) enhancing pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response and (iii) improving health sector technical capacity and pharmaceutical supply chain management.

The Ministry of Health and Mass Media will mainly be the Executing and Implementing Agency while the nine Provincial Departments of Health Services will also act as Implementing Agencies of the above program.

The Loan and the Grant Agreements were signed on Friday (17 October) between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Asian Development Bank at the Treasury in Colombo by Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma, Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, on behalf of the Government of Sri Lanka and Mr. Takafumi Kadono, Country Director, ADB Sri Lanka Residence Mission, on behalf of the Asian Development Bank.