Two Gazette notifications are scheduled to be issued on Friday (18), to facilitate the appointment of nursing offices to fill existing vacancies, Minister of Health and Mass Media, Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa has announced.

Speaking at the weekly Cabinet press briefing held today (15), the Minister stated that steps will be taken to recruit and provide training to 2,650 students who sat for the G.C.E. Advanced Level examination in 2020, 2021, and 2022 as nurses, along with 850 individuals who completed nursing degrees.

“We are currently facing a shortage of nursing staff. In the Northern Province alone, there are 33 rural hospitals without a single nurse,” the Minister said.

“To address this, we will issue a Gazette notification on July 18 to recruit 2,650 student nurses from eligible candidates who sat for the GCE Advanced Level examinations in 2020, 2021, and 2022. These individuals will have the opportunity to apply for nurse training programs,” he explained.

“In addition, we will recruit 850 graduates who have previously obtained nursing degrees into the public service. A separate Gazette notification will be issued for this purpose on the same day,” he added.

Accordingly, the Ministry of Health will proceed with the dual recruitment drive to both commence training for new candidates and absorb qualified graduates into the nursing workforce.