A high-level meeting took place between Sri Lanka’s Minister of Health and Mass Media, Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa, and the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Ms. Julie J. Chung, at the Ministry of Health and Mass Media. The discussion focused on the current state of the country’s healthcare and media sectors, alongside the potential for future collaboration and support from the US government.
Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa highlighted the government’s initiatives to strengthen Sri Lanka’s free healthcare system, ensuring the delivery of high-quality services to the population. He emphasized the implementation of a comprehensive plan to enhance primary healthcare services and shared details of a proposed health tourism project aimed at integrating conventional healthcare with traditional Ayurvedic medicine to boost tourism and healthcare simultaneously.
Addressing the issue of medicine shortages, the Minister announced plans to establish domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing within the next two years with international support. He also revealed a proposal to establish a specialized media institution to empower journalists.
The US Ambassador praised Sri Lanka’s free healthcare system, recognizing it as an outstanding service delivered at a low cost. She expressed her government’s willingness to continue providing financial, technical, and logistical support to tackle healthcare challenges and strengthen the media sector.
Ambassador Julie J. Chung emphasized the US government’s commitment to offering resources, expertise, and grants to support Sri Lanka’s healthcare advancements and the development of its media sector. She also lauded the government’s recent initiatives under the “Clean Sri Lanka” program.
The meeting underscored the long-standing cooperation between the two nations, with Ms. Chung recalling past instances where the US extended grants and technical assistance for the development of Sri Lanka’s healthcare services. She assured that this support would continue in the future.
The event was attended by the Secretary to the Ministry of Health and Mass Media, Dr. Anil Jasinghe, and Public Affairs Counselor at the US Embassy, Heidi Hattenbach, further reinforcing the collaborative spirit between Sri Lanka and the United States.
