The Sinhalese medical tradition records back to pre historic era. Besides a number of medical discoveries that are only now being acknowledged by western medicine, the ancient Sinhalese are believed to be responsible for introducing the concept of hospitals to the world. According to the Mahawansa, the ancient chronicle of Sinhalese royalty. King Pandukabhaya had lying-in-homes and hospitals (Sivikasotthi-Sala) built in various parts of the country after having fortified his capital at Anuradhapura in the 4th century BCE. Ruins of a hospital in Mihintale which was built by King Sena II (851-885 A.C.) that dates back to the 9th century has been discovered and it is considered as one of the worlds oldest hospitals. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_in_Sri_Lanka
Furthermore, as per WHO data, in 2013 total health expenditure in Sri Lanka – including public and private spending – reached just 3.24% of the country’s GDP. Despite this low figure, many of the country’s health indicators are comparable to those found in Thailand, Malaysia and South Korea, according to the World Bank, which noted that these countries have income levels two to six times higher than Sri Lanka, adjusting for purchasing power parity, and spend 1.5-10 times more on health per capita.
