DELIVERING UHC TO THE PEOPLE OF SRI LANKA
“Each year, the national health sector serves seven million inpatients and over 35 million outpatients.”
Sri Lanka embarked on a universal health coverage (UHC) delivery process almost seven decades ago, through a comprehensive, free-at-thepoint-of-delivery healthcare system. It covered promotive, preventive, curative rehabilitation care, almost fully supported by the government. As a result, Sri Lanka stands out in the region as a middle income country with relatively high social and health indicators – life expectancy of 74.9 years, an average literacy rate of 93.3 per cent, maternal mortality of 33.7 per 1,000 live births (2015), a neonatal mortality rate of six per 1,000 live births and an infant mortality rate of 8.6 per 1,000 live births (2015) – all of which are showing a downward trend.
A British crown colony for over a century, in 1931, Sri Lanka inherited a legacy of strong government institutions and self-rule, based on universal adult franchise, as well as a system of governance committed to delivering free healthcare services to all its citizens…
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