For many Sri Lankan nurses, the workday does not end when a shift is over. The emotional weight of caring for patients, supporting families, and making difficult decisions often stays with them long after they leave the hospital.
This article is the first in a 25-part series exploring the realities, challenges, achievements, and future of the nursing profession in Sri Lanka. Drawing on personal experience, research, and observations from different healthcare systems, the series aims to create meaningful discussion about the role of nurses and the changes needed to strengthen the profession.
My wife and I spent fourteen years working as Registered Nurses in Sri Lanka's public healthcare system, serving in busy hospital wards where resources were often limited and workloads were heavy. Like thousands of government nurses across the country, we worked long shifts, cared for large numbers of patients, and faced challenges that tested both our skills and resilience.
Today, after many years of working in healthcare systems overseas, we still look back on our time in Sri Lanka with pride. Despite the difficulties, nursing was more than a profession. It was a service to people during some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives.
In recent years, discussions about nursing in Sri Lanka have increasingly focused on dissatisfaction, workforce shortages, migration, and difficult working conditions. Many of these concerns are valid. Nurses face significant pressures related to staffing levels, workload, career progression, and financial compensation. At the same time, social media has amplified frustration among healthcare workers, often highlighting problems without discussing potential solutions.
This series is not intended to criticize nurses, healthcare leaders, or the healthcare system. Rather, it seeks to encourage constructive conversation about the realities facing Registered Nurses in Sri Lanka's government healthcare service. Having worked in healthcare systems across three countries, I recognize that Sri Lanka faces genuine challenges. However, I also believe these challenges can be addressed through thoughtful reforms, stronger support systems, and long-term investment in the nursing profession.
It is important to acknowledge that my wife and I eventually migrated overseas. Our decision was driven primarily by the desire to provide broader opportunities for our children. It was not a rejection of Sri Lankan nursing or the public healthcare system. We remain deeply grateful for the experiences we gained and the communities we served. In fact, we hope that one day, after retirement, we will return to Sri Lanka and contribute to healthcare services as volunteers.
Sri Lanka's government nurses remain the backbone of the country's healthcare system. They work in large urban hospitals, district facilities, and rural clinics, often under demanding conditions. Their contribution is essential to maintaining the country's reputation for providing accessible healthcare to millions of citizens.
In this first article, we begin by examining the overall working conditions faced by government nurses. Future articles in this series will explore staffing shortages, nurse migration, workplace safety, education, leadership, mental health, career development, public perception, policy reform, and other issues that shape the future of nursing in Sri Lanka.