Health Minister named one of '2013 Harvard Health Leaders'

Nadira Gunatilleke

Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena has been named as one of '2013 Harvard Health Leaders' by Harvard School of Public Health, US, recognizing his commitment to innovative leadership in his tenure as the Health Minister of Sri Lanka, Health Ministry Media Officer W.M.D.Vanninayake said.

According to Vanninayake, Minister Sirisena had received an invitation from the Dean of the Faculty, Harvard School of Public Health, Chair of the Advisory Board, Harvard Ministerial Leadership in Health Program, Julio Frank to participate in the Harvard Ministerial Health Leaders' Forum to be held at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government in Cambridge, Massachusetts from June 2 to 5, 2013.

A selected group of serving Health Ministers chosen for their track record in health leadership have been invited for this event. The Harvard Ministerial Health Leaders' Forum is the flagship component of the Harvard Ministerial Leadership in Health (MLIH) Programme.

The MLIH programme has the primary goal of recognizing and promoting transformational leadership among Health Ministers. This is a crucial element in strengthening sustainable health systems and improving health service delivery and health outcomes.

The MLIH combines ministerial level support with a customized process tailored to the specific needs and priorities of participating countries, he said.

Topics for discussion during the forum will be included leadership for transformation, priority setting, managing the political environment and the constraints on successful health systems change; approaches to health budgeting and financing; effective negotiation, advocacy and communications strategies,; managing communication with donors and international agencies; and navigating the geo-politics of global health, etc. Specific attention will be given to maternal and child health as a sentinel indicator of

health systems effectiveness and a benchmark for assessing a nation's progress.

Sri Lanka has already set records by achieving lowest maternal and infant mortality rates in the region, he added.