Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-7479d7b7d-fwgfc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-12T09:39:12.798Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

20 - Learning from the achievements in Sri Lanka

from SECTION 5 - SPECIFIC CHALLENGES IN SPECIFIC COUNTRIES

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 February 2014

Harshalal Seneviratne
Affiliation:
University of Colombo
Sean Kehoe
Affiliation:
John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford
James Neilson
Affiliation:
University of Liverpool
Jane Norman
Affiliation:
University of Edinburgh
Get access

Summary

Introduction

Sri Lanka has achieved a high status in maternal and newborn health. This island of 62 705 km has a population estimated to be 20.2 million (in 2008), yielding a population density of 322 per km2. Social stratifications, although present, do not affect the delivery of health care to all its citizens. A democratic parliamentary system of government ensures the development of country-specific health interventions. These have been strengthened even more to meet the local health needs following the devolution of power to provinces, districts and divisions.

Since 1947, the government of Sri Lanka has provided education to its people up to university graduation without a fee. Although, by academic selection, fewer than 20% of those qualifying at the General Certificate of Education ‘Advanced’ level (GCE ‘A’ level) examination are offered places at the state universities, increasing numbers of the remainder seek higher education at paid courses conducted by non-governmental higher education institutions. All these inputs contribute to the literacy rate of 91.8%.

In a similar manner, the government of Sri Lanka provides a free health service, without a user fee, from birth throughout life. The government health facilities, which are available throughout the country at basic, intermediate and tertiary levels, have also introduced some very advanced therapeutic procedures. For those who wish to obtain curative health services from the non-governmental providers, primary to tertiary care is also available in the private sector establishments. Approximately 4% of total deliveries in the country occur in private sector hospitals.

Type
Chapter
Information
Maternal and Infant Deaths
Chasing Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5
, pp. 307 - 316
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2010

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×