Health and Mass Media Minister Nalinda Jayatissa says the successful use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the healthcare sector depends on strong governance systems, public trust, ethical oversight and proper legal frameworks.
The minister made the remarks while addressing a special session on “Artificial Intelligence in Health: Laws, Ethical Oversight, Research and Equity” held alongside the 79th World Health Assembly (WHA79) in Geneva, Switzerland.
According to the ministry, the summit, which began on May 16 and concludes on Saturday (23), has brought together representatives from 194 countries, including health ministers, diplomats and international observers.
Addressing the session, minister said Sri Lanka had already identified the need for an appropriate legal framework to regulate AI use in the health sector and had taken steps to establish a regulatory authority under the Personal Data Protection Act.
He also stressed the need to strengthen mechanisms related to the registration, evaluation and post-market monitoring of AI tools used for disease diagnosis, clinical decision-making and patient monitoring.
The minister further stated that data governance frameworks ensuring privacy, cybersecurity and accountability were essential in the development of digital health systems.
He noted that ethical safeguards should be integrated from the earliest stages of technological design.
Jayatissa also warned that globally developed AI solutions could widen healthcare inequalities if adopted without proper localisation.
He said such technologies must be adapted to Sri Lanka’s disease patterns, healthcare workflows, language requirements and social realities.
The minister additionally highlighted the need for new regulatory mechanisms and intellectual property frameworks to govern the use of large-scale data systems in future medical research and pharmaceutical development.
Representatives and health ministers from several countries, including India, Nepal and Thailand, also attended the session. (Newswire)