The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) has raised concerns over proposed legal changes governing dog vaccinations, warning that the measures could disrupt Sri Lanka’s existing rabies control programme.
In a statement, the GMOA said a provision in the proposed legislation would require dogs to be vaccinated only under the direct supervision of a veterinary surgeon.
The association argued that implementing such a requirement would be impractical due to the limited number of government veterinary surgeons and could affect the vaccination programme currently operated through the Ministry of Health.
According to the GMOA, dog vaccinations are currently administered by specially trained vaccinators across 362 Medical Officer of Health areas under the supervision of health authorities.
The GMOA said national dog vaccination coverage currently stands at around 60%, while the target is 70%.
The association also referred to the transfer of the vaccination programme to the Department of Animal Production and Health in 2017. It claimed that vaccination coverage, which had been above 60%, fell to around 6% within a year before the programme was subsequently returned to health authorities.
The GMOA said Sri Lanka has made significant progress in reducing human deaths from rabies, from around 350 annually during the 1970s to 14 last year. According to data included in its statement, seven human rabies deaths have been recorded so far in 2026.
The association further said a study conducted with the involvement of the World Health Organization and the World Organisation for Animal Health recommended that the dog vaccination programme continue under the Ministry of Health.
The GMOA called for the proposed provision requiring direct veterinary supervision to be amended without disrupting the existing national vaccination programme.
It also raised concerns over provisions relating to suspected rabid or aggressive dogs, claiming that existing police powers to capture animals posing a threat to the public could be removed under the proposed legislation.
The association urged the authorities to review and amend the relevant provisions before proceeding with the legislation.
