Over 25,000 Sri Lankans Stuck in Dangerous Cardiac Care Backlog as Surgery Waits Stretch to 2029

More than 25,000 heart patients across Sri Lanka are currently languishing on waiting lists for life-saving cardiac surgeries, major procedures, and essential diagnostic tests, with some surgery queues reportedly not expected to clear until 2029, raising serious alarm over the state of the country's public healthcare system.

A Crisis of Alarming Proportions

The sheer scale of the backlog has cast a harsh spotlight on the Government's capacity to address the mounting pressures facing the nation's cardiac care services. For thousands of patients, many of whom are living with serious and potentially fatal heart conditions, the prolonged wait is not merely an inconvenience — it is a matter of life and death.

The waiting lists span hospitals across the island, affecting patients in need of a range of interventions from open-heart surgeries to critical diagnostic evaluations. The fact that some lists now extend as far as four years into the future has prompted urgent calls for immediate government intervention and systemic reform within the public health sector.

Systemic Pressures on Public Healthcare

Sri Lanka's public hospital network has long operated under significant strain, grappling with shortages of trained cardiac specialists, limited theatre availability, and insufficient medical equipment. The situation is understood to have been further compounded by the economic crisis in recent years, which severely restricted the importation of essential medicines and medical supplies.

• Over 25,000 patients are currently registered on cardiac surgery and diagnostic waiting lists nationwide.
• Some surgical waiting lists are reportedly scheduled to extend as far as 2029.
• Patients require a range of interventions including major heart surgeries and essential pre-operative tests.
• Concerns have been raised about the Government's ability to manage and reduce the growing backlog.

Growing Public Concern

Health advocates and medical professionals have voiced deep concern over the human cost of these delays. For cardiac patients, postponed surgeries and diagnostic procedures can lead to rapid deterioration in health, increased risk of heart attacks, and in the most severe cases, preventable deaths.

The situation demands urgent and decisive action from health authorities to ensure that no Sri Lankan loses their life simply because they could not access timely cardiac care.

As public pressure mounts, all eyes are on the Ministry of Health and the broader government to present a credible and comprehensive plan to address the crisis — one that not only clears the existing backlog but also strengthens the long-term infrastructure of cardiac care services across Sri Lanka.