The new Faculty of Medicine at Sabaragamuwa University was financed by the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) in partnership with the Sri Lankan government. The project represents one of the latest milestones in long-standing development cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Sri Lanka, with a focus on education and healthcare infrastructure.

The facility includes academic buildings, teaching laboratories, a library, a 1,000-seat auditorium, student hostels, staff accommodation and a professorial unit at the nearby Ratnapura Teaching Hospital. The Sri Lankan government complemented the Saudi-funded project by constructing administrative and paraclinical buildings along with additional supporting infrastructure.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya, who also serves as minister of education, Saudi Fund for Development Deputy Chief Executive Officer Faisal Al-Kahtani and Saudi Ambassador to Sri Lanka Khalid bin Hamoud Al-Kahtani.

Nirmali Wickramaratne, dean of the Faculty of Medicine, said the partnership had created one of Sri Lanka’s most modern medical education facilities. She said the expanded campus would increase the country’s ability to educate qualified doctors, strengthen clinical training and research, and improve access to quality healthcare services in the Sabaragamuwa Province.

The new institution is expected to play an important role in addressing Sri Lanka’s shortage of healthcare workers. According to Health Ministry data, the country had about 110 medical officers and 228 nurses per 100,000 people in 2024, highlighting continuing workforce pressures across the healthcare system.

Sabaragamuwa University’s Faculty of Medicine is only the tenth medical faculty in Sri Lanka, a country of approximately 22 million people. Officials said the expansion would provide more students with opportunities to pursue medical education domestically while reducing pressure on established universities concentrated around the capital.

Sri Lanka’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Ameer Ajwad, said the project would help decentralize medical education and contribute to meeting the country’s long-term demand for qualified healthcare professionals.

The Saudi Fund for Development has financed several major infrastructure projects in Sri Lanka over recent decades. These include the Colombo Water Supply and Sewerage Project, the Kinniya Bridge linking Trincomalee and Kinniya across Koddiyar Bay, the Wayamba University township, the Neuro-Trauma Unit at Colombo National Hospital and the Epilepsy Hospital and Health Center in Colombo.

Ajwad said Saudi Arabia continued disbursing development assistance even during Sri Lanka’s recent economic crisis, describing the projects as investments in education, healthcare, regional development and the country’s long-term prosperity.

Saudi Ambassador Khalid bin Hamoud Al-Kahtani said the new medical faculty represented an investment in people, knowledge and the future of Sri Lanka’s healthcare sector. He added that the project reflected the shared commitment of both countries to advancing education, improving healthcare and promoting sustainable development.

He said the new faculty would educate future generations of medical professionals while further strengthening bilateral cooperation and the longstanding relationship between Saudi Arabia and Sri Lanka.

The inauguration marks another step in expanding educational infrastructure in Sri Lanka as authorities seek to improve healthcare capacity through increased domestic training and international development partnerships.