The dengue epidemic in Sri Lanka has exposed the dire state of the country's public health system, which has been systematically dismantled over decades under the influence of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). This crisis, which has infected tens of thousands and claimed dozens of lives, is not merely a medical emergency but a social and political catastrophe. The situation is a stark reminder of the devastating impact of austerity measures and the failure of successive governments to prioritize the health and well-being of the population.
What makes this outbreak particularly concerning is the scale of the crisis and the severe strain it has placed on the country's hospitals and healthcare infrastructure. The National Dengue Control Unit (NDCU) has reported over 67,000 cases and 47 deaths as of July 11, with daily hospital admissions reaching 950-1,000. This surge in cases has overwhelmed hospitals, with patients being turned away and forced to seek treatment in corridors and stairways. The situation is particularly dire in the National Hospital of Sri Lanka, where high-dependency units are over capacity, and patients are being denied proper care.
One of the most striking aspects of this crisis is the deliberate underreporting of cases. The official figures drastically underestimate the true scale of the disaster, as 75-80% of infected individuals are asymptomatic but still capable of transmitting the disease. This underreporting reflects a pattern of concealment and manipulation of data, similar to the COVID-19 pandemic, where governments reduced testing and manipulated official death figures to pursue the criminal strategy of 'herd immunity'.
The response from the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna/National People's Power (JVP/NPP) government has been equally concerning. Instead of committing the necessary resources to eliminate mosquito breeding sites and provide adequate hospital care, the government is downplaying the outbreak and focusing on punitive measures. Inspections by the police, armed forces, and Civil Security Department have covered 323,276 premises, leading to 2,982 legal cases, but this militarized approach has done little to address the root causes of the crisis.
The epidemic is a social crime produced by the systematic destruction of Sri Lanka's public health system and the decades-long assault on the universal right to free healthcare. The country's public health institutions face shortages of 14,000 hospital attendants and 23,000 nurses, with hospitals suffering from broken equipment, crumbling infrastructure, and chronic shortages of essential medicines. The exodus of medical staff has reached crisis levels, with nearly 10% of doctors emigrating and more than 2,500 nurses leaving the profession.
The JVP/NPP government, despite promising to 'renegotiate' the terms of the country's IMF bailout, has become the most ruthless enforcer of austerity. The 2026 budget cut health spending to 554 billion rupees, while committing to a primary budget surplus and annual debt repayments of 5 billion dollars. Local government institutions responsible for sanitation, drainage, and garbage collection have been systematically starved of funds, leaving blocked drains, garbage dumps, and stagnant water to serve as breeding grounds for dengue mosquitoes.
What makes this situation particularly tragic is the contrast between the crisis and the vast wealth of the country. While billions of rupees are handed to major corporations, funding for healthcare and other essential services continues to be cut. The trade unions that claim to represent health workers support the IMF program, suppress workers' struggles, and oppose any independent mobilization against the JVP/NPP government.
In my opinion, the situation in Sri Lanka is a stark reminder of the devastating impact of austerity measures and the failure of successive governments to prioritize the health and well-being of the population. It is a call to action for workers to establish independent action committees to fight for the resources needed to rebuild public health. This means a political struggle to place the major banks, corporations, and private hospitals under democratic workers' control, reject foreign debt repayments, and establish a workers' and peasants' government based on socialist policies. Only through such measures can we hope to address the root causes of this crisis and prevent similar disasters in the future.
