US pledges ongoing support for Sri Lanka’s health and mass media sectors
A meeting between the Minister of Health and Mass Media, Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa, and the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Ms. Julie J. Chang, was held at the Ministry of Health and Mass Media yesterday (10) afternoon, during which a wide-ranging discussion took place on the supply of medicines and health services in the country, ministry sources said.
The US Ambassador has agreed to provide a certain amount of essential medicines and surgical equipment to the country from American donors. The current status of the free health service and the media sector in the country, as well as its future development, were also discussed at length during this meeting.
The American Ambassador has been briefed on the preparation of short-term and long-term plans for the control and suppression of dengue and chikungunya diseases, how to launch these activities, and how to control these diseases by implementing special programs to educate the community about health safety methods.
The Minister said that a special program has been implemented to avoid the shortage of medicines that occur in certain situations in the government hospital system of this country, and also said that a special program has been implemented to obtain essential medicines for the country through discussions between governments.
The Minister stated that the process of formulating a new media policy has already begun, after receiving everyone’s opinions and suggestions for the future of the country’s media sector, and further stated that a chartered media institution will be established soon for journalists and those involved in the media sector, and that relevant work is currently underway.
Recalling the support provided by the US government for the improvement of the country’s health service on previous occasions, the Minister also provided a special explanation to the American Ambassador about the current functioning and development of the Thriposha Institute, which was established in the country in 1973 as a donation from the United States.
The American Ambassador, who joined the discussion, stated that the US government will continue to provide all possible financial, technical, knowledge, and physical support and assistance to foster future developments in the country’s health and media sectors.
