Sri Lanka to lead Commonwealth Center for Digital Health

COLOMBO (News 1st) - Today (April 20), is the last day of the 25th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). The Commonwealth Center for Digital Health set up by the Commonwealth Medical Association was launched today (April 20). President Maithripala Sirisena was a special guest at the occasion. According to President's Media Division (PMD), the Commonwealth Center for Digital Health was proposed by Prof. Vajira Dissanayake of the University of Colombo in 2016 and incorporated into a Commonwealth Policy Brief on Digital Systems for One Health. It then received the approval of the Commonwealth Health Ministers in Geneva in May 2017. The PMD further notes that Prof. Dissanayake will give leadership as the Chairman of the Center. He held the position of the President of the Commonwealth Medical Association since 2016, and he has been leading a Commonwealth Wide Digital Health Initiative since he took office in October 2016 at the 24th Triennial Conference of the Association. Last night (April 19), President Sirisena attended a special dinner reception hosted Queen Elizabeth II. The reception was attended by high-level government leaders. President Sirisena also received a warm reception from British Prime Minister Theresa May at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Executive Sessions held yesterday (April 19). The Executive Sessions which were held at Lancaster House in London, was attended by several powerful heads of states which saw the passage of the Commonwealth Charter.