On 20 May 2022, Sri Lanka failed to make £63m ($77m, €73m) of foreign debt repayments. The default has made it harder to borrow money and has devalued the country’s currency. Inflation hit 30%, and the government no longer has the cash reserves to import food, fuel, and medicines. The pandemic—and the subsequent collapse of tourism—is one reason, but critics also cite mismanagement, such as a series of tax cuts that have left the government short of funds. Desperate citizens have rioted, and politicians have gone into hiding.

Sri Lanka’s universally accessible healthcare system is also on the verge of collapse. With no foreign cash reserves available for imports, the country has an acute shortage of essential drugs and surgical consumables. With the fuel crisis and power cuts, Sri Lanka is losing years of progress in sanitation, hygiene, nutrition, maternal and child health, and female literacy, doctors say.

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In May 2022, authorities shut down schools and asked public officials not to come to work because of the fuel shortage. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has warned of a severe food shortage in August as food prices, especially for rice and vegetables, have skyrocketed, while nutrition support programmes have stalled.

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