German investors interested in Sri Lanka’s health sector – envoy

German Ambassador to Sri Lanka Holger Seubert has told Minister of Health, Keheliya Rambukwella that investors from Germany, which has a most advanced healthcare system in the world, are keen to invest in Sri Lanka’s health sector, including pharmaceutical manufacture.

The Ambassador has pointed out that such investors are already active in Sri Lanka and it would be very important if it is promoted more extensively.

The German Ambassador made this observation when he called on the Minister of Health, Keheliya Rambukwella at the Ministry of Health recently and commended the program of the Health Ministry led by the Minister.

He pointed out that there were investors interested in sectors including pharmaceuticals and their investments were at a high level and therefore it is important for Sri Lanka to focus on that.

He has pointed out that the year 2023 marks the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and Germany and it is timely to launch a series of programs, especially in the field of health.

The Ambassador has said that the work of the Maternity Hospital to being built in the South under the name of Helmut Kohl, a former Chancellor of Germany will be completed soon and that German trained technicians will be deployed for training in the Orthopedic Unit of the Jaffna Teaching Hospital.

He has also pointed out that the work on the proposed oxygen factory at Kerawalapitiya could be started soon.

The German Ambassador has also observed that the provision of booster vaccine in Sri Lanka is a very important and timely step and it would be extremely important to provide it, especially to those in the tourism industry.

Minister of Health Rambukwella said that taking steps to provide the booster vaccine would have a more positive effect and vaccinating people in the tourism industry after giving the booster shots to the frontline health workers would immensely help the tourism industry as well as the country’s economy.

The Minister told the German Ambassador that not only Sri Lanka’s home treatment system for Covid was more successful, but it also received international acclaim and that the World Health Organization (WHO) had pointed out that Sri Lanka had set an example to the world.

Minister Rambukwella said that local and foreign investors in particular had been given the opportunity to invest in the country and plans were afoot to manufacture a large number of needed drugs in the country within the next few years.

Representing the German Chamber of Commerce, Andreas Hergenroether, Head of the German Chamber of Commerce and Malintha Gajanayake, Head of Institutional Affairs at the Embassy were also present on the occasion.