Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Higher Education, and Vocational Education, Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, officially inaugurated the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Sabaragamuwa on Saturday, 4 July.
The state-of-the-art faculty was established with financial support from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD).
The Saudi Fund for Development, the Kingdom’s development financing institution, provided US$50 million (SAR 187.5 million) for the project. The initiative comprises facilities at two strategic locations. The main Faculty of Medicine complex is situated on a 20-acre site and includes 13 purpose-built academic, administrative, and support buildings. The campus also features student hostel facilities accommodating 500 students, staff quarters, a modern library, and a 1,000-seat auditorium.
The second component of the project is a Professorial Unit at the Ratnapura Teaching Hospital. Housed in a G+8-storey building, the unit is designed to strengthen clinical teaching, training, and research through modern laboratories and advanced medical facilities.
Addressing the gathering at the inauguration ceremony, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya emphasized the importance of quality medical education in strengthening the country’s healthcare system. “Sri Lanka is well recognized for providing high standards of medical education and healthcare services. The strength and resilience of a country’s healthcare system depend on the quality of its medical education. We are confident that this Faculty will produce the skilled healthcare professionals and researchers the country needs,” she said.
The opening ceremony was attended by a high-level delegation from the Saudi Fund for Development, led by Eng. Faisal Mohammed H. AlKahtani, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the SFD. Also present was the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Sri Lanka, Khalid Hamoud AlKahtani.
To date, the Saudi Fund for Development has extended approximately US$438 million (SAR 1.5 billion) in concessional development financing to Sri Lanka through 15 major projects. These include the Colombo Water Supply and Sewerage Project, the Kinniya Bridge—the longest bridge in Sri Lanka—the Neuro-Trauma Unit at the National Hospital of Sri Lanka, the Kalu Ganga Development Project, the Wayamba University Township Development Project, and the Peradeniya–Badulla–Chenkaladi Road Project. These investments continue to make a significant contribution to Sri Lanka’s sustainable socio-economic development and reflect the longstanding development partnership between Sri Lanka and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
02/07/2026
