A total of 53,604 people with kidney disease are currently receiving a monthly allowance of Rs. 10,000, Minister of Social Security Upali Pannilage told Parliament on Friday.
The minister was answering an oral question from Opposition MP Rohana Bandara about the assistance available to people affected by kidney disease, the Daily Mirror reported.
Pannilage rejected the MP’s claim that payment of the allowance was being restricted, saying no such restrictions were in place.
“Most of the people receiving the special allowance are also beneficiaries of the Aswesuma welfare programme,” the minister said.
Context
The monthly living assistance payment for kidney patients is administered separately from Aswesuma, the government’s main means-tested welfare scheme, though the minister’s answer indicates the two caseloads overlap substantially.
Chronic kidney disease of uncertain origin has been a persistent public health burden in Sri Lanka’s dry zone farming districts, particularly in the North Central Province, where it affects working-age agricultural communities and creates long-term dialysis and income-support costs. The allowance is intended to offset the loss of earnings and the recurring treatment expenses carried by affected households.
