The common people of this country were bankrupt due to the current economic crisis, people are reaping the rewards of the blunder they did and are hardly talked about now. Within the last two years, the number of poor families in Sri Lanka has doubled from 13% – 25%. The data has revealed that the number of new poor people is 2.7 million. Also, as revealed by the World Food Program (WFP), 66% of the families in our country are facing various difficulties and are under severe economic pressure. According to this data, 60% of the people in our country are suffering from food insecurity. Accordingly, they have reduced the number of meals, the amount of food and the nutrition of the food they intake . Talking about this humanitarian tragedy is very rare where malnutrition of children are on the rise.
Various surveys and researches have confirmed that malnutrition among Sri Lankan children has increased within the last two years. The collapse of the country’s economy has severely affected the middle class and lower middle class families due to the heavy tax burden imposed on the people who are suffering greatly. A large number of middle-class people in this country are rapidly falling into poverty due to this tax burden. It is inappropriate and useless to talk only about the large-scale economic development of the country without looking for solutions to these problems. When people fall into poverty, the country falls to the point where it is impossible to recover due to the structural collapses that occur with it.
Children can’t come to school.
One of the major areas affected by this poverty is education. The cost of transportation has gone up. The cost of school books and stationary for children’s educational needs has increased several times. Children also suffer from hunger. In fact, many children do not attend school regularly.
Unable to buy essential medicines…
Many people say that there is free healthcare in this country. But exactly half of the total health expenditure, i.e. 50%, is borne by the personal wallet of each patient. Due to the un-affordable cost of food, patients have limited the purchase of essential medicines and when they get a disease, they resort to proper treatment only when it is unavoidable. Due to this, we may not be able to see the result of patients taking less medicine for long-term diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and cancer, but we will be able to see it in the near future. It is certain that Sri Lanka, which has been a country with a high birth rate in the world, will fall rapidly within the next 4-5 years and join the group of countries with low birth rates.
Also, what happened to the patients coming to the government hospitals due to the increase of the prices of medicines and health. The government spent 453 billion rupees on health last year 2023. This is more than double the previous year. Despite this, there was a huge shortage of medicines in our country last year. As a result large-scale fraud, corruption and inefficiency in the government’s health care system exposed in the year 2023, patients received substandard medicines. Its results are not a secret to the people of our country. Due to these reasons, a large number of officials of the Ministry of Health are currently facing legal proceedings. Also, a large number of people in the health sector have now left the country. Due to lack of doctors, lack of other health workers, lack of drugs and inferior drugs, patients are suffering a lot today.
Sri Lanka is the country with the weakest social welfare in the world.
Social welfare is one of the most important component to eradicate poverty in this country. The current social welfare program in this country has been scrutinized by international institutions. According to their reports, Sri Lanka has the weakest social welfare system in the world. There is a reason for this. Mainly poor subsidies like Samurdhi do not go to the deserving. 38% of the 25% of the poorest families in Sri Lanka receive Samurdhi subsidy. But what should happen is that at least 90% of the 25% of the poor families must get the Samurdhi subsidy. Do you agree that 16% of the 50% of the highest income earners in our country currently receive the Samurdhi subsidy which is the truth because the distribution of Samurdhi subsidy is completely politicized. Due to the distribution of these subsidies in the manner required by the politicians in each area, a situation has arisen where those who deserve it do not receive it properly. It is recommended that the subsidy distribution procedure be standardized immediately. In doing so, the government should immediately take steps to provide this subsidy to the poor families living in our country.
Some political ideologues say that there are too many subsidies in Sri Lanka which is a complete false. Only 0.6% of our country’s Gross Domestic Product is spent on subsidies. Even some developed countries subsidize people up to 10%. Our country has reached this state of bankruptcy not because of subsidies.
Provide nutritious school lunches to school children.
The United Republic Front suggests that providing a nutritious lunch to school children should be done under the current situation.
Through this kind of process, the future generations of this country can be made a group without malnutrition. The percentage of children coming to school will be high. It is an asset to the country that the next generation of the country is an educated group without malnutrition. Also, the money spent on lunch helps to grow the rural economy and regional economy of this country.
Give a coupon to buy school supplies…
Today, school children are in a difficult situation due to not being able to buy school books and equipment. At this point, I suggest that the government intervene and issue a coupon for the purchase of these educational equipment and school books. The value of this must be at least three thousand rupees and it must be a coupon issued only for this purpose, which cannot be used for anything else. This should be implemented early this year. If the health and education of the citizens of this country collapse without taking such necessary measures, our country will fall to the point where it cannot be recovered.
Azgar Nuhman – Freelance Journalist and Sufi author
