As a lower middle-income country, Sri Lanka has achieved remarkable progress in maternal and child health, and addressing communicable disease. The country has a maternal mortality rate of 33.8 per 100,000 live births, an infant mortality rate of 9 per 1,000 live births, and a life expectancy at birth of 75.3 years, leading indicators in South Asia.
Widespread access to healthcare and increasing prosperity has accelerated the demographic and epidemiological transitions as Sri Lanka’s population ages. This is increasing prevalence and burden of non-communicable diseases – both chronic (diabetes, cancers, cardiovascular diseases, mental health issues etc.) and acute ailments such as injuries.
To address these challenges, the World Bank is helping support the implementation of the country’s National Health Development Plan, which is improving the health sector to meet middle-income country standards through technical and financial assistance. It aims to upgrade the standards of performance of the public health system and enable it to better respond to the challenges of malnutrition and non-communicable disease.
“With support from the World Bank and other partners, we have been able to improve the quality of health services through providing emergency services that treat 10 to 12 patients per day for traffic accidents and poisonings. An electronic registration and records system have also reduced wait times for patients from two hours to one hour for most care. Before, patients had to go to Kandy for emergency care, but they can now come to our district level hospital which now have the facilities and staff training to help them.” Dr. Shaminder Weerakoon, Hospital Head for the District Base Hospital Theldeniya in Central Province.
The World Bank is supporting the project with $200 million in financing from the International Development Association (IDA). $190 million is allocated to Component I, which supports priority areas through disbursement-linked indicators under the National Health Development Plan; and US$10 million is allocated for Component II which supports innovation, result monitoring, and capacity building. The total disbursement to date is 87.62% and is on track to meet full disbursement by the completion of the project in September 2018.
Original source: World Bank
Published on 14 September 2018