Sri Lanka embarking on a new wave of  digital transformation in health sector with the adaptation of using digital health technologies. Over 80 government hospitals have already implemented an electronic medical record system  , which has enabled the capture and storage of a wealth of health-related information. However, there is still a gap in data sharing practices and availability of data for researchers, students, and the general public.

To address this issue, the Health Information Unit of the Ministry of Health has developed an Open Data Portal. This portal provides access to official datasets published by the ministry, including non-sensitive, aggregated, and anonymized datasets. Additionally, the portal shares datasets submitted by academics in various areas of research related to healthcare in Sri Lanka.

The Open Data Portal allows users to search for datasets and download them for their intended use. It was launched by the Director General of Health Services, Dr. Asela Gunawardena, and is accessible at https://data.health.gov.lk/ .

With the implementation of the Open Data Portal, Sri Lanka's health sector can now provide valuable data to researchers, students, and the general public. This could potentially lead to improvements in healthcare and policy-making in the country