Lab and Medical Expo will showcase technology that can even detect dangerous particles in the air

Sri Lanka will host the Lab and Medical Expo 2016 next week where over 150 internationally reputed pharmaceutical and medical companies from 10 countries will participate to showcase their state of art products related to analytical, scientific and bio technology instruments.

The exhibition will be held from 18th to 20th August at the Sri Lanka Exhibition and the Convention Centre in Colombo.

Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Health of the Western Province, Dr. Amal Harsha de Silva told media briefing held at the Kingsbury Hotel in Colombo that it is going to be a major event in the country where knowledge will be shared among the public on the latest products available in the developed world.

He said about 25 per cent of the people in Sri Lanka have diabetes but many are not aware that they have the disease. “We want the people to know about the latest technology available to detect such diseases. Today we have the knowledge to detect a number of other diseases and with new technology that reduces the cost.”

‘We can learn a lot of things from India when it comes to high coast intervention of diseases such as heart surgeries, etc,” he said. The exhibition is organised by the Sri Lanka Ministry of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine along with the Sri Lanka Sri Lanka Society for Medical Laboratory Science, Institute of Quality and Productivity Management, Sri Lanka Institute of Chemistry and S.D. Promo Media (Pvt) Ltd.

Answering questions, Dr. Silva said the government has allocated a sum of Rs. 240 billion to the health sector to improve the standard of health care in the country.

Prof. Oliver Illeperuma of the Institute of Chemistry Sri Lanka and the Co- Chairperson of the conference said the Medical Expo will also showcase instruments that will help to detect and analyse particles in the environment. “As we know the environment is getting polluted day by day due to increasing urbanisation and economic prosperity with an increase number of vehicles causing serious air pollution. How much of money is wasted on treating illnesses due to air pollution. The place where I live in Kandy is worst affected. The water is also getting polluted with various types of chemicals.” He said that waste too has become a huge problem in the country that has political and social ramifications, when it could be used as a resource (rather than waste going waste).

Ravi Kumudesh, President of the Sri Lanka Society for Laboratory Science said the exhibition will provide an opportunity for professionals .in the country for the first time to look for new innovative products in Sri Lanka.