Sri Lanka’s Minister of Health and Mass Media, Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa, has been elected a Vice-Chair of the Fifth Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference (MC-5), which commenced in Bangkok, Thailand, on Wednesday (28).
The conference, held at the United Nations Conference Centre (UNCC), is jointly organised by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) and the Royal Thai Government.
Representing Sri Lanka, Minister Jayatissa addressed the conference, highlighting the slowdown in global progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
He emphasised the importance of integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other digital technologies into national public health systems to improve disease surveillance, assess climate-related health risks, strengthen disaster preparedness and expand access to healthcare services.
The Minister also stressed that developing countries facing financial and capacity constraints should have access to the benefits of emerging technologies.
He called for stronger regional cooperation to facilitate the sharing of technological tools, expertise and resources while improving institutional capacity.
Secretary to the Ministry of Health and Mass Media Dr. Anil Jasinghe, Public Service Commission member Eng. (Dr.) Sanath Panawenna and officials from the Sri Lankan Embassy in Thailand also attended the conference. (Newswire)