The Ministry of Education and Higher Education has moved to cover the cost of AIDS testing for schoolchildren under the state-backed Suraksha student insurance scheme, Hiru News reports.
The step follows Ministry of Health figures indicating that 107 people aged between 15 and 24 were diagnosed last year.
What the circular covers
A circular setting out the change has been issued to provincial education authorities, heads of pirivenas, and principals of both government schools and government-approved private schools.
Alongside testing costs, the circular extends cover to expenses associated with:
- Osteoporosis
- Hepatitis
- Skin cancer treatment
- Cancer treatment
- Related diagnostic tests
Suraksha is the Education Ministry’s insurance programme for school students, run with Sri Lanka Insurance and covering health, accident and life benefits for close to four million children in government schools, government-approved private schools, pirivenas and assisted special schools.
A note on terminology
The report refers throughout to “AIDS testing” and to young people “diagnosed with AIDS”. In standard clinical usage the test concerned detects HIV, the virus that can lead to AIDS, and the two are not interchangeable. The source does not specify which the circular refers to.
Not reported
The report does not give the circular’s number or date, the value of the benefit for any of the newly covered conditions, or when the cover takes effect. It does not say whether testing would be voluntary, who would request it, or what confidentiality protections would apply to a student’s result — a significant question for testing arranged through schools. The 107 figure is attributed to unnamed Ministry of Health sources rather than a published health report, and no comparison with previous years is given. No official from either ministry is quoted.
