Sri Lanka’s Minister of Health joins with clinicians to emphasise the need to strengthen the surgical workforce.
At the 78th Session of the WHO Regional Committee for South-East Asia (SEARO), the Sri Lankan Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the World Federation of Societies of Anaesthesiologists (WFSA)and Smile Train, co-hosted an official side event titled “Cleft to Coverage: Strengthening Anaesthesia and Surgery for Children in the South-East Asia Region.”
The event gathered a wide range of clinicians, policymakers, and Ministry of Health representatives from across the region to explore how stronger paediatric surgical and anaesthesia services can advance progress toward Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and the health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Delivering the keynote address, Hon. Dr Nalinda Jayatissa, Minister of Health & Mass Media, Sri Lanka, issued a clear call for sustained, integrated investment in child health systems.
“When a child cannot access lifesaving or life-changing surgery—whether to correct a cleft lip, repair an injury, or treat an infection—the consequences are lifelong,” said Dr Jayatissa. “To address this, we must strengthen our health systems in an integrated and sustainable way.”
He reminded delegates that one in every four of the world’s children lives in the South-East Asia region, highlighting both the scale of the challenge and the opportunity for leadership. While commending Sri Lanka’s progress in expanding paediatric surgical and anaesthesia training, he emphasised the urgent need to build and retain the anaesthesiology and surgical workforce, improve access to essential medicines and monitoring equipment, and integrate Emergency, Critical, and Operative (ECO) care within national health strategies.
“We must build and retain our anaesthesiology and surgical workforce—the cornerstone of safe surgery,” he said. “When we strengthen these vital services, we lift the entire health system—and with it, the health, dignity, and futures of our children.”
Dr Jayatissa cited the Government’s US$107 million partnership with the Asian Development Bank to modernise secondary healthcare, including children’s anaesthesia and surgical facilities, as evidence of this commitment. He praised the contributions of professional and international partners such as the WFSA and Smile Train, noting how collaboration can accelerate progress toward UHC.
The discussion panel at the side event featured contributions from Dr Kiran Karlapu (India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare), Dr Chamila Liyanage (Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children, Sri Lanka), Dr Romesh Gunasekera (Durdans Hospital, Colombo), Dr Vibhavari Naik (Basavatarakam Indo-American Cancer Hospital, India), and Dr Rajesh Khanna (WHO SEARO), who explored regional opportunities for collaboration in workforce development, essential supplies, and health-system integration.
Opening the event, Dr Kumudini Ranatunga, WFSA Council Member, set the tone for the discussion:
“This meeting is a call to action. In a region that is home to nearly one-quarter of the world’s children, access to safe and timely paediatric anaesthesia and surgical care remains a critical gap in our journey toward Universal Health Coverage.”
Renu Mehta, Area Director for South Asia at Smile Train, added:
“Cleft care shows how a well-integrated surgical programme can strengthen wider systems. With continued investment, collaboration, and capacity-building, every child can access safe and timely surgery.”
The Cleft to Coverage side event highlighted how leadership, partnership, and advocacy can combine to strengthen health systems—ensuring that safe anaesthesia and surgery are not privileges but essential components of care for every child in South-East Asia.
Adding the perspective of civil-society partners, Renu Mehta, Smile Train’s Area Director for South Asia, noted:
“Cleft care shows how a well-integrated surgical programme can strengthen wider systems. By continuing to invest in partnerships and capacity-building, we can ensure that every child has access to safe and timely surgery.”
The Cleft to Coverage side event highlighted how regional collaboration—anchored by national leadership and supported by professional and NGO partnerships—can deliver real progress toward safer surgery for every child in South-East Asia.
Following on from the side event, the WFSA further underscored the importance of safe and accessible anaesthesia services by delivering a formal statement to the 78th SEARO Regional Committee. The statement highlighted that achieving UHC and the health-related SDGs depends on embedding anaesthesia within national health strategies and ensuring every country has a trained and supported anaesthesia workforce. WFSA urged Member States to prioritise anaesthesia within health-system planning, invest in training and equipment, and strengthen quality and safety monitoring—stating that “there is no safe surgery without safe anaesthesia.”
