On 27 June 2025, Deputy Minister of Health of Sri Lanka, Hansaka Wijemuni held a bilateral meeting with Deputy Minister of Public Health of Thailand, Dej-is Khaothong on the sidelines of the Third Ministerial Conference on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics in Asia and the Pacific. The meeting focused on strengthening collaboration in the field of public health and addressing shared health priorities of mutual interest to both countries and the region. Additional Secretary (Public Health Services) of the Ministry of Health of Sri Lanka, Lakshmi Somathunga and officials from the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Bangkok also participated in the meeting.
Both sides reaffirmed the importance of enhancing bilateral engagement to promote closer cooperation in public health. Discussions centered on expanding collaboration in key areas including physician training programmes, government pharmaceutical procurement, food and drug safety mechanisms, universal health coverage, and the development of medical tourism.
The Sri Lankan side also highlighted interest in exploring best practices and policy experiences from Thailand to inform national health reforms.
Deputy Minister of Health, Wijemuni emphasized the need for stronger institutional partnerships and welcomed opportunities for technical cooperation, capacity building, and knowledge-sharing, particularly in the development of a resilient and inclusive public health system in Sri Lanka.
In response, Deputy Minister Dej-is Khaothong conveyed Thailand’s readiness to deepen bilateral cooperation and extended support to Sri Lanka in areas of shared interest. He also underlined the significance of bilateral mechanisms in complementing existing multilateral frameworks, such as those under BIMSTEC and the World Health Organization (WHO). He further noted that the formalization of cooperation through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on health would represent an important step forward in institutionalizing long-term collaboration between the two ministries.
This high-level engagement reflects the longstanding and friendly relations between Sri Lanka and Thailand, and reaffirmed both countries’ shared commitment to enhancing cooperation in the health sector. The meeting concluded with both sides expressing their intention to sustain momentum and explore concrete avenues for continued partnership in the years ahead.
Embassy and Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka
Bangkok
02 July 2025
