Minister of Health Nalinda Jayatissa says the Health Ministry is working to achieve the global immunisation targets set out in the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Global Immunisation Agenda 2030.
Minister Jayatissa further said that Sri Lanka’s national immunisation programme represents a significant milestone in the country’s public health achievements.
He made these remarks while receiving the technical report compiled on the basis of the conclusions of the 2025 National Immunisation Summit, which the Ministry of Health and Mass Media and the Epidemiology Unit jointly organised in March this year.
Chief Epidemiologist Hasitha Tissera officially handed over the report to the Minister at the Ministry of Health recently.
Minister Nalinda Jayatissa emphasised that the Ministry is working with a strong focus to expand access to vaccination, integrate new technologies, and improve service delivery, to provide quality health services and better health outcomes for the people of Sri Lanka.
The report’s technical recommendations and planning will provide significant support to decision-making and policy implementation within the national immunisation programme. It also demonstrates Sri Lanka’s continued commitment to a strong immunisation policy framework. The report will be particularly useful in the introduction of new vaccines and in strengthening surveillance of vaccine-preventable diseases in the future, he said.
Sri Lanka held this National Immunisation Summit after a period of ten years, with support from the World Health Organization, the GAVI Alliance, and UNICEF.
More than 175 participants took part, including health administrators, university deans and professors, public health experts, specialist doctors, medical professionals, experts from various fields, and civil society representatives.
According to health data, Sri Lanka first introduced vaccination in 1886 with the smallpox vaccine, and in 1978 launched the Expanded Programme on Immunisation as a nationwide initiative. In 2028, the programme will mark its 50th anniversary.
Those present at the occasion included UNICEF Sri Lanka Deputy Representative Ms. Begona Arellano, UNICEF Health and Nutrition Manager Dr Abner Daniel, UNICEF Health and Nutrition Officer Dr Dhammika Rowel, and Epidemiology Unit specialists Dr Shashipaba Wickramasinghe, Dr Nimal Galagedara, and Dr Prabha Abeykoon. (Newswire)
