The Cabinet has approved the implementation of 35 activities under the Integrated One Health Pandemic Preparedness and Response Strengthening Project, at a total cost of Rs. 5,431 million.
The funding comprises a Rs. 4,785 million grant and Rs. 646 million from the Government of Sri Lanka. The approval followed a proposal from the Minister of Health and Mass Media.
The project includes upgrading the physical infrastructure of the National Public Health Investigation Laboratory at the Medical Research Institute. The wider 2026 to 2028 action plan also proposes a Sri Lanka Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, expected to be financed through the Asian Development Bank.
The government said the project aims to close gaps seen in the national response to the COVID-19 pandemic and to diseases that pass from animals to humans, by improving coordination between human and animal health sectors.
Sri Lanka signed the grant agreement with the Pandemic Fund on 20 March 2025. All grant-funded activities must be completed by 31 March 2028.
