Ladies and Gentlemen,
A very Good Morning/ Afternoon to all
At the outset, on behalf of the government of Sri Lanka, I wish to thank the Director General for having identified Sri Lanka to host the Global celebration of the World Health Day this year. We thank you for gracing the event and taking part in the numerous activities that we conducted during your brief visit to our island. Let me also thank our Regional Director Dr. Poonam Khetrapal Singh for guiding us to make the event a success.
Director General, Excellencies and distinguished delegates
The Government of Sri Lanka is committed to preserve Universal Health Coverage, which has been a commitment of our successive governments, to provide free health care through a government lead health care delivery system.
Having understood the challenges in doing so, we are now ready to take the health care delivery system through a much needed reform process that will further improve access and coverage for the pressing health needs of non-communicable diseases, elderly, injuries, mental health , cancer, nutrition related challenges and the emerging communicable diseases.
The policy on Health care delivery for UHC was very recently approved by the Cabinet of ministers. To support this policy, I would like to reiterate several interventions mentioned last year, which we continue to provide. These include the fixing of maximum retail prices for 48 most commonly used drugs, making ocular lenses and cardiac stents available free of charge, lifting the price ceiling on cancer therapy provided by the national health service on per patient basis. The new policy focuses on strengthening primary care and adopting a family doctor system, and making available supportive specialised care through a cluster system that will ensure continuity of care. Meanwhile, the good health outcomes achieved in maternal and child health care and communicable diseases such as elimination of malaria, Filariasis and maintaining a low prevalence for HIV, will be extended and broad based through the planned reorganisation of the health care delivery system. Certainly we will build on our strengths of a good public health system and will learn from, and adopt suitably the good practices to address the gaps.
We intend to address UHC through a multifaceted approach, where we believe prevention and health promotion will play a critical role. In the sphere of NCDs, we have taken major strides in creating the needed policy and the legal environment. We believe this will have a significant influence on lifestyle related behaviours. Sri Lanka has taken measures for controlling Tobacco smoking by introducing 80 percent pictorial warning, 90 percent taxation of tobacco products, banning the sale of tobacco products around a 100meter radius from schools, smoking in public places and advertising in mass media and in public places, while measures are also being taken to introduce plain packaging and a ban on single stick sales. We have successfully introduced a Traffic Light system and a tax scheme for sugar sweetened beverages soon to be introduced to several other food items including selected snack foods. Such a scheme will be introduced for salt and trans fats shortly. We note that much more effort needs to go into controlling the abuse of Alcohol. I think this is regional problem as well.
We have worked on the policy for UHC for some time and we are happy to present a five year plan for UHC. Sri Lanka appreciates the technical support given by WHO SEARO and the country office, and in this respect we are already working on the essential service package while examining our health financing strategy.
We note that Human resources in health will be a critical factor for our progress. Our health service is manned by close to 135,000 health care personnel (17,000 doctors, 32,000 nurses and rest paramedical). We need to do an in depth study of the skills and numbers required in different cadres in keeping with what we envisage for primary care strengthening. Whilst we indeed need the technical support for such analysis, we also need to strengthen HR policy and strategic functions that would be mainstreamed within our organisation.
In keeping with the concept embodied in UHC of "leaving no one behind', we have understood the importance of Health performance monitoring, putting equity as a core concern. Director General Sir, You may recall that we have developed the National Health Performance Framework, which we launched at the World Health Day Celebration in my country.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen
Within our plan for UHC we intend to address certain vulnerable communities and people, beginning with the difficult to reach and most vulnerable. We consider Migrants, both inbound and outbound as being vulnerable. We very recently entered into a partnership with the International Organisation for Migration which will establish a Health Assessment program for inbound long stay visa applicants. The Health assessment is intended to link those with TB, HIV, Malaria and Filariasis with our national control programs. This will ensure them with treatment and will also protect public health in our country. Similarly national guidelines prepared for pre departure health assessments for our own citizens will also ensure referral of many of those with identified health problems to our national health system to be managed free of charge.
There is a continuing challenge that we have not resolved, namely, Chronic Kidney Disease of unknown aetiology. We appreciate guidance and assistance extended by WHO to improve our understanding, find solutions, a prevention strategy and improve our clinical management practices. We are also thankful for the assistance extended by the Chinese government in setting up a research centre and much needed treatment facilities and we are mindful that we have a long way to go to see a reversal of the situation for the better.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Finally, let me acknowledge the strong partnership and support we have received from the World Health Organisation over the years and convey special words of thanks to Dr Tedros, Director General, and to Dr. Poonam Singh the Regional Director for South Asia, and to the Sri Lanka country office. We look forward to continuing this strong partnership in the years to come.
Thank you.
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