Sri Lanka Chamber of Medical Devices Industry appoints new committee at 3rd AGM

The Sri Lanka Chamber of Medical Devices Industry (SLCMDI) appointed its new committee for 2018 at the third Annual General Meeting held at the Cinnamon Grand Colombo recently. 

The Chief Guest at the event was Health Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne. National Medicines Regulatory Authority Chairman Prof. Asita De Silva also attended the event along with officials from the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Biomedical Engineering Services, Department of Public Finance and other stakeholders of the industry.

Speaking at the ceremony, Minister of Health Dr. Senaratne commended the efforts of the chamber and wished it success. He also stressed the importance of locally manufacturing medical devices in a similar fashion to what was implemented for the pharmaceuticals industry through the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation and State Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Corporation.  

George Steuart Health Executive Director Eran Ranasinghe took over the presidency for 2018 following two years of service as Secretary of the Chamber. Ranasinghe succeeded Diligence Healthcare Managing Director Saman Hulangamuwa, who was President in 2017.

In his inaugural address, President Ranasinghe said: “The Chamber represents the collective voice of the medical device importers. Since inception, over 40 members have rallied around the Chamber, strengthening its progress. Our quest is to create lasting solutions to the medical devices industry in a regulated, equal opportunity and ethical environment. Representing the collective voice of the medical device importers, the Chamber has a growing influence on national legislations. While the Chamber does act as an advocate for its members on the various issues, it is also involved in championing issues affecting the medical devices importers at large.”

Other elected office bearers for 2018 are Tilak Fernando - Vice President; Niranjan Selvadurai - Vice President; Saman Peiris – Secretary; Sanjeeva Samarasinghe - Assistant. Secretary and Pradeep Amarawardena - Treasurer. Other council members include A.R. James, Angelo Nicholas, Shiran De Mel, S. Prabu, Vijith Madampe, Indika Rajakaruna and T. Sayandhan.

In recent years the medical devices industry has grown steadily and is predicted to continue to grow in the next five-year period as well. Medical devices remain a necessity to healthcare due to advancements in technology. The global medical device market is expected to reach an estimated $ 342.9 billion by 2021 with a compound average growth rate of 4.6% from 2016 to 2021. The major drivers for this have been identified as growth in healthcare expenditure, increasing health awareness and the ageing population.

With over 400 registered importers, the demand for medical devices in Sri Lanka is expected to grow up to $ 165 million with a steady growth rate of 9.5% in 2018. The budget allocation for healthcare for 2018 in Sri Lanka is estimated at Rs. 178 billion with over Rs. 8 billion dedicated to the purchase of medical equipment for the government sector alone.

One of the prime objectives of the Chamber has been implementation of the Device Classification Guidelines in Sri Lanka. The proposal has been discussed with the ministry and NMRA at length. The SLCMDI’s main goal for 2018 is the successful implementation of these guidelines. NMRA Chairman Prof. Asita De Silva in his address to the gathering also explained the success of the NMRA since its inception and disclosed its future plans. 

SLCMDI said it invited non-members in the industry to partner the Chamber in its efforts to take the industry forward. For more information on the SLCMDI email [email protected].