Part of our Nursing Councils of the World series. Last checked: November 2026.
Sri Lanka’s health service depends on 43,553 nursing officers, and it is losing them faster than it can replace them. Between 2022 and early 2025, nearly 2,800 nursing officers left the country, according to the Health Minister. The government’s answer is a plan to recruit 13,600 new nursing personnel between 2025 and 2029, more student places and, in May 2026, the first appointment of BSc nursing graduates to Grade III posts since 2021.
This guide explains how nursing is regulated in Sri Lanka, the Sri Lanka Nurses’ Council, the diploma and degree routes, how nurses are recruited into government service, the migration crisis, and what Sri Lankan nurses need to know before working abroad.
Imagine you are a nursing officer in a busy district hospital in Kurunegala. Two colleagues from your batch have already moved to the United Kingdom, and a third is waiting for her English test result. Your ward was planned for six nurses on a night shift; tonight there are four. You love your patients and your country, and you also have a family to support. You are not alone: thousands of Sri Lankan nurses are weighing the same choice. Understanding how the system works, at home and abroad, is the first step to making that choice well.
Who regulates nursing in Sri Lanka?
The main law is the Sri Lanka Nurses’ Council Act, No. 19 of 1988. It created the Sri Lanka Nurses’ Council as a body corporate responsible for the registration, regulation and professional standards of nursing. Before 1988, nurses were registered under Part IX of the Medical Ordinance, under the Sri Lanka Medical Council. The 1988 Act repealed that part and gave regulatory authority over nursing to the Nurses’ Council.
Under the Act, the Council’s functions include:
- registering nurses and keeping the register;
- suspending, removing or restoring names on the register;
- disciplinary action, including for criminal conviction, negligence or incapacity;
- recommending nursing curricula and textbooks;
- inspecting nursing education institutions;
- prescribing a code of ethics.
To register, an applicant must be at least 21 years old, hold the prescribed qualifications and pay the prescribed fee. Under the Act, registration of non-citizens requires approval at the highest level of government, so foreign nurses rarely practise in Sri Lanka.
In practice, much of the day-to-day management of nursing (training schools, recruitment, postings, promotions and grades) sits with the Ministry of Health and its Directorate of Nursing, because most nurses work in the state health service. The 1988 Act has not been substantially amended, and nursing groups have long called for modern legislation covering continuing professional development, licence renewal and specialist practice.
How to become a nurse in Sri Lanka
There are two main routes.
| Route | Where | Length | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diploma in General Nursing | Government nursing training schools and colleges under the Ministry of Health | Around three years | G.C.E. Advanced Level results; selection by gazette notice |
| BSc Nursing | State universities (and some approved private institutions) | Four years | G.C.E. Advanced Level, through university admission |
| Post-basic and specialist programmes | Post-basic colleges and universities | Varies | Registered nurse with experience |
Government nursing training schools are the backbone of the system. Students are selected through a gazette notice published by the Ministry of Health, and successful candidates receive training and are generally absorbed into the state service as nursing officers. Nearly 7,800 students were training at nursing schools across the island in 2026, and approval has been granted for an additional 3,000 places in the national nursing training college system.
Degree-qualified nurses are a growing part of the workforce. In May 2026, the government appointed 515 BSc nursing graduates to Grade III posts, the first recruitment of this kind since 2021.
Grades and career progression in the state service
Nursing officers in the state service progress through grades (Grade III, Grade II, Grade I and Special Grade), based on service, examinations and training. Beyond ward nursing, career paths include:
- Nursing sister and ward sister roles leading wards and units;
- Matron and chief nursing officer posts in hospitals;
- Public health nursing sisters and community roles;
- Nurse tutors in nursing schools;
- Specialist roles in intensive care, theatre, paediatrics, psychiatry and other areas.
Sri Lanka also has a strong network of public health midwives, who are central to the country’s excellent record in maternal and child health.
The 2025–2029 recruitment plan
In 2026, the Ministry of Health set out a target to recruit 13,600 new nursing personnel between 2025 and 2029, with measures to fill half of that target by the end of 2026. Key figures:
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Active nursing officers in the state health service | 43,553 |
| Grade III nursing staff recruited in the previous two years | 3,441 |
| BSc nursing graduates appointed in May 2026 | 515 |
| Students currently in nursing schools | Nearly 7,800 |
| Additional student places approved | 3,000 |
| Recruitment target, 2025–2029 | 13,600 |
These are significant numbers for a country of around 22 million people. Whether they close the gap depends on how many experienced nurses stay.
The migration crisis
Sri Lanka’s economic crisis in 2022 triggered a wave of health worker migration. At the 78th World Health Assembly in May 2025, Health Minister Dr Nalinda Jayatissa said more than 4,600 health professionals had migrated since 2022, including nearly 2,800 nursing officers, the largest single group. He said Sri Lanka had borne significant financial losses after investing in training its own health workers, and called on destination countries to follow the WHO Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel.
The main destinations are the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the Gulf states. Many Sri Lankan nurses have worked in the Middle East for years; increasingly, some use Gulf experience as a step towards the UK or Australia.
Why nurses leave:
- salaries eroded by inflation and taxes after the economic crisis;
- heavy workloads as colleagues leave;
- limited promotion and specialist training places;
- better pay, education for children and permanent residence abroad.
The WHO Global Code asks richer countries not to drain health workers from countries that need them, and to share the benefits of migration fairly. Destination countries interpret this differently, and the WHO also keeps a separate Health Workforce Support and Safeguards List of countries where active recruitment should be avoided. Before you sign with an agency, check whether the destination country restricts recruitment from Sri Lanka; individual nurses can usually still apply directly. Read our guide to the global nursing shortage to understand these rules.
What migration means on the wards
Every nurse who leaves takes years of experience with them. The effects are felt most in specialist units such as intensive care, operating theatres, neonatal units and dialysis, where experienced nurses are hardest to replace. When senior nurses leave, newly qualified Grade III officers are often asked to take charge of shifts earlier than planned, with less mentoring. Night shifts become harder to cover, overtime increases, and the pressure can push more nurses to consider leaving, creating a cycle that is difficult to break.
Hospitals have responded with measures such as accelerated in-service training, re-employment of retired nursing officers on contract, and redistribution of staff between hospitals. These help in the short term but do not replace a stable, experienced workforce. If you are a senior nurse who stays, your role as a mentor is more valuable than ever: structured preceptorship for new graduates protects patients and helps new nurses settle into the profession.
Maternal and community health: Sri Lanka’s success story
Despite the pressures, Sri Lanka has a strong record in public health. Maternal and infant mortality are low for a lower-middle-income country, thanks in large part to a long-standing network of public health midwives, public health nursing sisters and field health services. Public health midwives each cover a defined area, visiting pregnant women, new mothers and infants at home, supporting immunisation and family planning, and referring problems early. This model is studied by health planners around the world and shows how much nurses and midwives can achieve when they are organised close to communities.
Protecting this success means recruiting and keeping not only hospital nurses but also community nurses and midwives, whose work is less visible but saves many lives.
Working abroad as a Sri Lankan nurse
If you are considering a move, the steps are similar across countries:
- Keep your Sri Lankan registration active and obtain a certificate of good standing from the Sri Lanka Nurses’ Council or the relevant authority.
- Check your service obligations. Nurses trained in state schools may have bonds or service requirements; leaving without settling them can cause problems later.
- Take an English test (IELTS or OET) for English-speaking countries.
- Apply to the destination regulator, for example the NMC in the UK, Ahpra in Australia or the relevant Gulf licensing authority, and complete its exam or assessment.
- Use only licensed recruitment agencies registered with the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment, and never pay unlawful fees.
Our guides to registration routes abroad and nursing in the Middle East explain each destination in detail.
Nurses’ associations and unions in Sri Lanka
Sri Lankan nurses are well organised. Several trade unions represent nursing officers in the state service and negotiate on pay, allowances, promotions and working hours. Professional groups and the Sri Lanka Nurses’ Council focus on standards and education. Nursing unions have taken strong public positions on salary anomalies, the recruitment of graduates and the brain drain. Joining a professional body or union gives you a voice on these issues and access to training.
What would help Sri Lanka keep its nurses?
- Fair pay and allowances that keep pace with the cost of living.
- Clear career paths, with more specialist and post-basic training places.
- Safe staffing so that wards are not left with too few nurses.
- Modern regulation, including continuing professional development and recognition of advanced practice.
- Ethical international agreements that compensate Sri Lanka for training costs, or allow nurses to work abroad for a period and return with new skills.
Frequently asked questions
Who registers nurses in Sri Lanka?
The Sri Lanka Nurses’ Council, established by the Sri Lanka Nurses’ Council Act, No. 19 of 1988.
How many nurses does Sri Lanka have?
The state health service had 43,553 active nursing officers in 2026.
How many Sri Lankan nurses have left the country?
Nearly 2,800 nursing officers migrated between 2022 and early 2025, according to the Health Minister.
How do I apply to a government nursing school?
Watch for the Ministry of Health gazette notice calling for applications, which sets out the A/L requirements, age limits and closing date.
Can foreign nurses work in Sri Lanka?
Rarely. Registration of non-citizens requires special government approval under the 1988 Act.
But should Sri Lankan nurses stay or go?
There is no single right answer. Nurses who go abroad often support families, gain new skills and send home money that helps the economy. Nurses who stay keep a health system running that has achieved remarkable results with limited resources. The government’s recruitment plan is a real commitment, but it will only work if experienced nurses feel valued enough to stay, and if those who leave can return with their skills recognised. Whatever you decide, make the choice with full information and protect your registration, your contract and your rights.
Your next step: Check that your Sri Lanka Nurses’ Council registration and service records are complete and up to date, and keep certified copies of your certificates, whether you plan to stay or work abroad.
Related: Nursing councils of the world · Maldives Nursing and Midwifery Council · Bangladesh Nursing and Midwifery Council
Sources: Sri Lanka Nurses’ Council Act, No. 19 of 1988; Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka (May 2026 appointments and 2025–2029 recruitment plan, as reported by CNASL); Daily Mirror (21 May 2025) reporting the Health Minister’s address to the 78th World Health Assembly; WHO Global Code of Practice and Health Workforce Support and Safeguards List. Rules change; check official sources.
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