The World Health Organization (WHO) will hold the 79th session of its Regional Committee for SouthEast Asia in Dili, Timor-Leste, from tomorrow (07) to 10 September 2026, with WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus attending.
Health ministers and senior health officials from Member States, together with senior WHO officials and other delegates, will participate in the session. Sri Lanka’s delegation, led by Health and Mass Media Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa, will leave the country today (06), the Ministry of Health and Mass Media said.
The delegation includes Health and Mass Media Ministry Secretary and consultant physician Dr. Anil Jasinghe, Dr. Anil Jasinghe, Deputy Director-General of Health Services (Planning) Dr. S. Sridharan, Deputy Director-General of Health Services (Public Health Services) Dr. S. M. Arnold; Senior Professor of Genetics and Biomedical Informatics Vajira H. W. Dissanayake, and Health Ministry Director (Planning) Dr. Janaki Vidanapathirana.
The session holds particular significance for Sri Lanka. Dr. Jayatissa, whom the Committee elected as Chairperson at its 78th session in Colombo in 2025, will continue in that role until the election of his successor, the statement said.
The Committee will elect new office-bearers and conduct other governance business when the session opens tomorrow.
This year’s session will focus on strengthening the health workforce to ensure equitable access to specialised care. Delegates will discuss regional health priorities and future action, including workforce development, universal health coverage, digital health and the use of artificial intelligence, the statement said.
They will also examine ways to strengthen the resilience of health facilities, advance the elimination of multiple diseases and accelerate efforts to end tuberculosis.
The session will also consider adopting the Dili Declaration on equitable access to specialised care. As Member States consider decisions to strengthen health systems across the region, Sri Lanka’s delegation will share the country’s experience and proposals to strengthen its free healthcare service and advance regional health cooperation, it said.
Dr. Jayatissa will also hold bilateral discussions with health ministers and senior representatives from several countries on the sidelines of the session. On 7 September, he plans to meet Maldivian Minister of Health, Family and Welfare Geela Ali, Indian Minister of Health and Family Welfare Jagat Prakash Nadda, and Bangladeshi Minister of Health and Family Welfare Sardar M. Sakhawat Hossain.
On 8 September, he plans to hold discussions with Bhutanese Health Minister Lyonpo Tandin Wangchuk and a delegation including Dr. Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari, Adviser to the Prime Minister of Qatar for State Affairs, according to the statement.
Further meetings will include Indonesian Health Minister Budi G. Sadikin and David Jordens, whom Belgium has appointed as its Ambassador to Timor-Leste. Dr. Jayatissa will also hold a separate meeting with WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus during the session.
The Regional Committee brings together the WHO South-East Asia Region’s 10 Member States to decide health policies and future action.
Its 79th session will provide an important platform for cooperation to make health systems across the region more equitable, accessible and resilient, the statement added.
