At the invitation of the Kursk State Medical University (KSMU), Dr. Seetha Arambepola, Hon. State Minister of Health of Sri Lanka took part in the First Meeting of the Russian-Sri Lankan Universities Association of Medical and Allied Sciences on 03 June 2024.

The Russian-Sri Lankan Universities Association of Medical and Allied Sciences was created in May 2023 and its purpose is to establish and strengthen ties between Russian and Sri Lankan medical institutions, giving them a platform for joint research, seminars, conferences and shared use of resources.
The First Meeting gathered a substantial number of speakers representing the Governments of Sri Lanka and Russia, including Dzhagaryan Levan Semyonovich, Ambassador of Russia to Sri Lanka and Maldives, Andrey Belostotsky, Deputy Governor of the Kursk region and others.
The Universities were represented by Vice Chancellors and Rectors from both sides, including the University of Peradeniya, the Gampaha Wickramarachchi University of Indigenous Medicine, the University of Vavuniya, the Galle Teaching Hospital, the Open University of Sri Lanka, the Russian National Research Medical University named after N. I. Pirogov, the Kursk State University, the Ivanovo State Medical University, the Tver State Medical University, the Mechnikov Northwestern State Medical University, the Omsk State Medical University and others.
The representatives of the Universities spoke of their respective institutions and the potential paths of collaboration, indicated the possible difficulties and solutions, introduced the peculiarities of the educational and healthcare systems of both countries. The Hon. State Minister of Health of Sri Lanka, in her turn, made a presentation on the clinical facilities available in the country and the requirements in higher education opportunities for students in Sri Lanka.
In the end of the event, Dr. Seetha Arambepola, Hon. State Minister of Health and Professor V.A. Lazarenko, Rector of the KSMU signed a Protocol of the First Meeting of the Association.