Introduction: Continuous Professional Development (CPD) has been defined as a continuing process, outside formal undergraduate and postgraduate training, that allows individual doctors to maintain and improve standards of medical practice through the development of knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviour. However, CPD is not popular for Sri Lankan health professionals. The aim of this article is to conduct a SWOT analysis aiming at the formulation of implementation strategies for CPD for medical doctors in Sri Lanka. Methods:The root causes analysis on CPD was done using Ishikawa diagram aided by the literature. SWOT and TOWS matrix analysis was performed to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats using literature and formulated CPD implementation strategies.Results: Lack of financial incentives, CPD infrastructure and training programmes by professional colleges, remoteness of doctors from main education centres, lack of time for doctors, CPD being noncompulsory by law have been identified as leading causes against CPD implementation. Availability of considerable fund allocation at Ministry of Health (MOH), good perception towards lifelong learning among doctors as strengths; availability of international jobs for doctors, SLMA initiative to establish island wide CPD, availability of funding agencies and political influence as opportunities were identified to overcome threats and weaknesses. Conclusion:The MOH should start a National CPD steering committee with a representation of the SLMC, SLMA, all professional colleges, Medical Faculties, Provincial Directors, Institutional Heads and representation of the Government Medical Officers Association to ensure implementation of compulsory CPD in Sri Lanka.

Background: Laboratory services are an essential part of the entire health system and biosafety prevents unintentional exposure to pathogens and toxin which, paved the way for Sri Lanka to sign the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety on 24 th May, 2000. Objectives:The objective of this study is to assess the biosafety precautions (BSP) in selected government healthcare institutions (SGHIs) in Colombo district, Sri Lanka. Methods:A descriptive cross sectional study was performed in fourteen SGHIs in Colombo district, Sri Lanka. BSP level was assessed through a checklist based on direct observation by using adapted WHO laboratory assessment tool i.e. WHO, 2012. Accordingly, this consisted of developed and validated measurement criterions for BSP and the level of availability of BSP given values were 100% for fully availability, 50% for partial availability and 0% for non-availability.Results: MRI had the highest BSP standard (89.3%) while the standard was poor at DMH (43.2%), IDH (43.8%), JAPR (46.3%), BHH (49.4%) and LRH (49.5%), respectively and the lowest was CSTH (35.6%). Overall BSP level in Colombo district was 52.8%. Conclusions and Recommendations:Six out of fourteen institutions showed very poor levels of BSP. Establishment of a biosafety committee, preparing standard operational practices (SOPs) and introduction of continuous professional development and surveillance systems, were identified as major recommendations for overall improvement.