Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya Addresses Global Eye Health Summit in Antigua and Barbuda

Prime Minister Dr Harini Amarasuriya participated in the “The Value of Vision” Global Eye Health Summit and Exhibition held on November 2 in Antigua and Barbuda, where she is attending the 2026 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).

Addressing a high-level segment of the summit, the Prime Minister highlighted the importance of eye health within Sri Lanka’s free healthcare system and reaffirmed the country’s commitment to ensuring access to healthcare for all.

She said Sri Lanka’s free education and healthcare systems had been built on a long-standing public commitment, and that eye care services had developed as part of this approach.

The Prime Minister emphasised that eye health should not be viewed merely as a social cost, but as an investment in human capital.

She said particular attention was being given to children and young people. Under the National School Health Policy, the Ministries of Health and Education jointly conduct vision screening for students in Grades 1, 4, 7 and 10. Students who require assistance are provided with free spectacles and specialist medical treatment.

She also announced that the President’s Fund had launched a new programme to provide spectacles to all university students who need them. The first phase of the programme was successfully implemented on October 17, 2026, she said.

The summit brought together international leaders, policymakers and health sector experts to discuss addressing preventable vision impairment, expanding eye care services and strengthening global cooperation in eye health.

Following the Global Eye Health Summit, Prime Minister Amarasuriya also attended the Commonwealth Leaders and CEOs’ Summit, which focused on strengthening relations and cooperation among Commonwealth member countries.

At the meeting, she invited Commonwealth business leaders and investors to consider investing in two major projects prepared for investment in Sri Lanka with the support of the Commonwealth Climate Finance Access Hub.

The projects are the Climate-Resilient Agricultural Systems Project and the Green Hydrogen-Powered Zero-Carbon Emission Port Logistics Project.