Sri Lanka’s Deputy Minister of Health, Hansaka Wijemuni, says steps are underway to introduce a new Mental Health Act in the near future.
He made these remarks while attending celebrations marking the 100th anniversary of the National Institute of Mental Health.
Dr. Wijemuni noted that Sri Lanka’s mental health services have reached a critical turning point, emphasizing that the current mental health policy dates back nearly a century. As a result, the process of updating the legislation has already begun, and the new Mental Health Act will be presented expeditiously.
Acknowledging the complexity of the task, he added that a preliminary draft of the proposed law has already been submitted to Parliament of Sri Lanka and the Cabinet of Ministers of Sri Lanka. The draft will next be released for public consultation before final approval.
