Regional counterparts reaffirm shared commitment to advancing digital health

ALIGNED with the 78th session of WHO South-East Asia Regional Committee Meeting held in Colombo from 13-15 October, Sri Lanka and India jointly hosted an event under the theme, 'Developing a digital health ecosystem for integrated person-centred care: Lessons from implementing Digital Health Blueprints in the region', where best practices from the region to forge a digital health ecosystem were shared by experts.

- BY RANDIMA ATTYGALLE

Developing a digital health ecosystem for patient-centered care is both timely and deeply relevant to building equitable, efficient and resilient health systems within the country and across the region, remarked the Health Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa at the event co-hosted by Sri Lanka and India on 'Developing a digital health ecosystem for integrated person-centred care: Lessons from implementing Digital Health Blueprints in the region'. The event which took place last Tuesday was on the sidelines of the 78th session of WHO South-East Asia Regional Committee Meeting, held in Colombo from 13-15 October.

Remarking that Sri Lanka has always placed the health of its people at the heart of national development, Health Minister in his opening remarks underscored that good health is not a privilege but a fundamental right of all people. "Today, the world we live in is changing rapidly. We are facing complex health challenges, from the growing burden of noncommunicable diseases to the pressure of aging populations, climate change, and economic hardship. To meet these challenges, we must strengthen our health systems not just through more funding or more hospitals, but through smarter, more connected, and more people-centered care," observed Dr. Jayatissa who went onto note that, in a bid to reach this goal, Sri Lanka has already made significant progress in its journey towards digital transformation in health. Digitising of 135 hospitals across the country, integrating multiple public health programs and establishing a national drug information system were cited by the minister as examples.