Taking a step towards improving the Sri Lanka industry of medical devices

Tuesday, 10 December 2013 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

In the constantly-changing and advancing field of medicine, it is essential to keep abreast of developments and equip hospitals with the latest technology. Key amongst these is access to modern medical diagnostic devices and therapeutic equipment. In order to successfully provide superior solutions to patients, importers and manufacturers must work together with medical professionals, regulatory bodies, policy makers, Customs officials, the Ministry of Health and related organisations. With the aim of facilitating such discussions and collaborations in mind, the Sri Lanka Chamber of Medical Devices was launched recently.

As the first initiative of its kind in Sri Lanka, Weyhenage Sarath Premakumar, President of the Association announced the intention of the Association, “to move the medical equipment Industry of Sri Lanka forward to be on a par with, or even surpass, other countries in the region and pool resources to build a healthcare system in which the Nation can confidently place their faith.” With the trend towards an aging population and the increase in non-communicable diseases, such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes, the need for better diagnostic equipment and advanced treatments is quite clear. Currently, in Sri Lanka’s total healthcare expenditure, a quarter of this expenditure is directed towards equipment and supplies. Therefore it is necessary to have a clear plan for the purchase of medical devices. It is important that all involved are able to share their views with the relevant authorities to reach an amenable balance of expenditure and healthcare outcome. Additionally, improvement of existing treatments and diagnostic equipment will encourage patients to avail themselves of local facilities, rather than head abroad for their medical needs. As the increased migration of medical professionals in search of better training and exposure to novel medical methods becomes apparent, the better equipping of hospitals would encourage home-grown talent to remain in the country and add to the improvements in healthcare. The Association also aims to encourage and facilitate manufacturing opportunities in Sri Lanka. This would be advantageous to the economy, as well as reduce the cost of medical devices which would channel through to healthcare costs. Laying the foundation for this important future prospect in co-operation with the government will be a main focus of the Association. The Association encourages interested parties to contact them via email on [email protected] and [email protected] for further information.