University of Jaffna Medical Faculty Delegation Holds Stakeholders’ Meeting in Singapore to Advance Healthcare in Northern Sri Lanka
A delegation from the Medical Faculty of the University of Jaffna, led by Dean Prof. R. Surenthirakumaran, visited Singapore to conduct a Stakeholders’ Meeting on Advancing Healthcare Services in Northern Sri Lanka. The meeting, held on 14 September 2024 at the Sri Senpaga Vinayagar Temple, was organized in collaboration with SingHealth, Singapore.
The delegation included Family Physician Dr. Kumaran, Consultant in Obstetrics and Gynaecology Dr. S. Raguraman, Consultant Urological Surgeon Dr. Balasingam Balagobi, and Specialist Nephrologist Dr. Brammah R. Thangarajah. Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to Singapore, Senarath Dissanayake, and Minister/Head of Chancery Ahamed Razee also attended, along with Vijaya Rao, Director of the SingHealth International Collaboration Office.
The delegation engaged with Singaporean institutions, such as KKH Women’s and Children’s Hospital, to advance healthcare services in Northern Sri Lanka, with a particular focus on day surgery and maternal and child healthcare. This visit is part of a broader initiative to enhance healthcare infrastructure and foster international collaborations through the Jaffna Regional Collaborating Centre (RCC), a partnership between SingHealth Duke-NUS Global Health Institute (SDGHI) and the University of Jaffna. It is the second of three planned visits under this collaboration.
On 16 September, the delegation met with High Commissioner Dissanayake at the Sri Lanka High Commission in Singapore, where they presented updates on the project. Prof. Surenthirakumaran emphasized the RCC’s pivotal role in improving healthcare outcomes in the region and expressed optimism about securing the necessary expertise and resources through partnerships with Singapore’s leading healthcare institutions.
The High Commissioner commended the delegation’s efforts and reiterated the Mission’s commitment to furthering healthcare cooperation between Sri Lanka and Singapore, noting recent discussions with Singapore’s Health Minister to explore new avenues for collaboration.
