Exploring Al-led transformation in healthcare system in Sri Lanka

LAST week we ran an interview in this page with a foreign Artificial Intelligence (AI) engineer who was amongst the first batch in the Western world to enrol in it as an academic discipline soon after AI was introduced to the world in 2021. Today we feature a discussion with a Sri Lankan born Australia based professional in the health sector who wishes to introduce to Sri Lanka an AI led integrated approach to boost medical tourism.

- By Surya VisHwA

Nidesh Kulatunge

Nidesh Kulatunga began his academic career in accounting, completing a bachelor’s degree in Australia before undertaking further professional training in business analytics at RMIT University — Melbourne city campus. Through independent study and the development of applications, he had earned awards from state government health agencies leading to him being a project lead in the health sector. His current position is as Principal Business Analyst within a Clinical and Business Intelligence unit in Australia. This interview is published as part of the mass media endeavor of the Harmony page towards encouraging a sound integrated approach towards national policy discourse keeping the lived in interest of the people of the country.

I have been living in Australia for the past 13 years, and have been a lifelong technology enthusiast, which naturally shaped my career trajectory. Over the past five years I have worked across several layers of the Australian health system, starting at the federal level, then moving into injury compensation and workers’ rehabilitation/ return to workspace. Thereafter I specialised in the state public health sector. My work has involved training staff, leading and delivering statewide health projects, and helping design and implement software and data driven platforms that improve how services operate. These roles placed me at the intersection of policy, operations, and technology, allowing me to understand both the human side of healthcare and the technical capabilities that can truly elevate it.