Highlights
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Programme
Budget Planning 2014/15 – Sri Lanka
“A goal
without a plan is just a wish.”- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
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Sri Lanka is known to be
exemplary for its high attainment in health indicators with limited
resources. WHO Country Office has been proud to be associated with this
success along with the Ministry of Health and other collaborators for over
60 years. All these successes could be attributed to good foresighted
planning since inception. As customary, WHO once again is in the process of
planning its next biennial workplan along with the Ministry of Health and
other partners. The manner in which it is being carried out bears witness
to the close and effective collaboration between WHO and its partners.
Read More on
Programme Budget Planning 2014/15
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World
No Tobacco Day 2013
31 May 2013
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This years World No
Tobacco Day on 31 May again highlighted the health risks associated with
tobacco use and the need for strengthening effective policies to reduce
tobacco consumption. The theme for this year was “Ban tobacco advertising,
promotion and sponsorship”. In spreading, this year’s theme Sri Lanka
organized many events through the Ministry of Health as well as ADIC (Alcohol
& Drug Information Centre).
Read More on World No Tobacco Day 2013
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Certificate
Course in Palliative Care for Medical Officers
18 & 19 May 2013
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Improving capacities of medical officers on
palliative care has been identified as an important intervention in
expanding palliative care services throughout the country. The certificate
course in palliative care for medical officers was offered by the institute
of palliative medicine, Calicut, India (WHO Collaborating
Centre in community based palliative care and long
term care) in association with college of General Practitioners of Sri
Lanka (CGPSL) together with the
national cancer control program, Ministry of
Health & WHO Country office Sri Lanka.
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Commemorating
UN Global Road Safety Week
10th May 2013
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The Non Communicable Diseases Unit of the Ministry
of Health together with many other stakeholders including Health Education
Bureau, Primary Care Services Unit, Ministry of Education, Expert Committee
on Road Accident Prevention - Sri Lanka Medical Association, National Road
Safety Council, Department of Motor Traffic, Traffic Police Division of the
Sri Lanka Police and the World Health Organization commemorated the UN
Global Road Safety Week 2013, from the 6th of May to the 10th of May 2013.
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World Health Day 2013
7th
April 2013
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World Health Day which is celebrated on 7
April each year to mark the anniversary of the founding of WHO in 1948. The
theme for 2013 is high blood pressure . This was seen as a very good
opportunity for Sri
Lanka to highlight progress made on tackling
NCDs and disseminate facts of MRI study that was done on assessing salt
consumption in addition to the WHD main themes. There were numerous
activities organized both at central and peripheral level for world health
day. The following activities were conducted for this:
·
Initiation of WASH cluster
·
Salt awareness week
·
Initiation of school NCD prevention
programme
·
Media seminar
·
Print & electronic media - Interviews,
feature articles and paper advertisements
·
WHD reception hosted by WHO Country Office
·
Island-wide advocacy programmes for WHD
Read More on World Health
Day 2013
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The Year of Preventing Non
Communicable Diseases
January
2013
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It was indeed a milestone in the journey
of prevention and control of Non Communicable Diseases that the year 2013
has been declared as “The year for prevention & Control of Non
Communicable Diseases” This decision was taken by the Minister of Health
after consultation with HE president of Sri Lanka and after obtaining
approval from the Cabinet of Ministers. The national event to launch this
program was held in the North
Western Province
with the Hon Minister of Health, Chief Minister, provincial health minister
and other ministers of the province and many dignitaries.
Read More on Launch of
year of NCDs - January 2013
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Sri Lanka Joins the WHO global Network of Age friendly cities
(December 2012)
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Wellawaya Division of the Moneragala
district is now a member of the WHO Global Network of Age friendly cities
and communities (GNAFCC) since December 2012. This has been attained
through the laudable efforts of Mr Senarath Attanayake, Provincial
councilor of Uva province.
Read More on Sri Lanka Joins the WHO global Network of
Age friendly cities
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Launch of the
guidelines for management of NCDs in Primary Health care
12 November 2012
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The launch of the guideline for management
of NCDs in primary health care using the total risk assessment approach has
been a significant milestone in Sri Lanka. The guidelines have
been developed by the Ministry of health for use by medical officers
involved in primary health care. The guidelines will also be used for
screening of those presenting at healthy Lifestyle centers at primary
health care institutions which have adapted the total risk assessment
approach. These guidelines were prepared using the WHO PEN protocol after extensive
consultations with various stakeholders. The inauguration was attended by
the Hon Minister of Health and many dignitaries.
Read More on Launch of the
guidelines for management of NCDs in primary health care – 12 November 2012
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Sixty Years
of WHO Presence in Sri
Lanka, Designation of NIHS as a WHO
Collaborating Centre and the Launch of CCS
16th October 2012
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16th October 2012
marked another milestone in the close and successful collaboration between
WHO and the Government of Sri Lanka. It was a day to commemorate three
important events; Launching of WHO Sri Lanka’s third Country Cooperation
Strategy, WHO Sri Lanka’s completion of 60 years of country presence and
the designation of NIHS as a WHO Collaborating Centre for Public Health
Workforce. The day’s colourful proceedings took place at the National
Institute of Health Sciences (NIHS) in Kalutara. Minister of Health, Hon.
Maithripala Sirisena graced the occasion along with many senior dignitaries
including Minister of Minor Export Crop Promotion, Hon. Reginald Cooray,
Secretary Health, Dr Nihal Jayathilake, Provincial Minister of Health, Hon.
Jagath Angage, Dr Sangay Thinley, Director FHR and Dr Monir Islam, Director
HSD from WHO SEARO, members from academia and staff of WHO Country Office
for Sri Lanka.

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World Heart
Day 2012
29 September 2012
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The theme for 2012 is
on protecting the hearts of women and children through heart-healthy
actions. For more than a decade now the World Heart Day has been used to
address the global CVD epidemic, and encourage heart-healthy living.
Governments from 194 countries agreed through a World Health Assembly
resolution in May 2012 to the first-ever global mortality target on
noncommunicable diseases (NCDs – including CVD, diabetes, cancer and
chronic respiratory diseases) and made a commitment to reduce premature NCD
deaths by 25 per cent by 2025.

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National
Transplant Programme established in Sri Lanka
25th of September 2012
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Hon. Minister of
Health, Mr. Maithripala Sirisena appointed on “The Technical Advisory
Council on Human Tissue Transplantation” at a ceremony held at the
Auditorium of the Ministry of Health, on 25th of September 2012. The
responsibility of the council is to advice the Minister on matters arising
out of the administration and implementation of the provisions of the act
or the regulations made thereunder.

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Consensus Achieving Workshop for
finalization of National Policy & Strategic framework on prevention
& control of cancers
25 September 2012
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At least one-third of
all cancer cases are preventable. Prevention offers the most cost-effective
long-term strategy for the control of cancer. A well-conceived, and managed
national cancer control programme is an effective public health
intervention that lowers cancer incidence and improves quality of life of
cancer patients, no matter what resource constraints a country faces.

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Short Course on Child Injury
Prevention
18—20 September 2012
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Every day globally
more than 2000 children and teenagers die from an injury which could have
been prevented. A joint WHO / UNICEF report was produced in 2008 as a call
to keep kids safe by promoting evidence-based injury prevention
interventions and sustained investment by all sectors. This presented
countries with current knowledge about the five most important causes of
unintentional injury – road traffic injuries, drowning, burns, falls and
poisoning – and makes seven recommendations for action.

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Mobilizing Youth for NCD
Prevention
17 August 2012
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It was indeed a
historic occasion where the Ministry of Health and Ministry of youth
affairs and skills development joined hands for NCD prevention as a follow
up to multi stakeholder meeting was held in July 2011 prior to the UN
General assembly in September 2011.

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Launch of the National programme for prevention of
hearing impairment and deafness in Sri Lanka
11th - 12th September 2012
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A WHO Situation
review on hearing loss in the South East Asia states that 9% of the
population of Sri Lanka
suffers with disabling hearing loss and is the second most prevalent
disability in the country. The reported high prevalence of hearing loss and
ear diseases, that are largely preventable and treatable point towards the
need for public health programme aimed at prevention and hence the
formulation of a national program.
The launch of the National Program for prevention
of hearing impairment was done under the patronage of the Hon Deputy
Minister of Health Lalith Dissanayake as well as the secretary, ministry of
Health Dr Nihal Jayathilake. This event coincided with the Sound hearing
2030 meeting titled “Symposium on Comprehensive planning of HRD ear and
hearing care as well as the 4th General body meeting of the society for
Sound Hearing” held in Colombo from the 11-12 September.

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SEARO Benchmark Assessment of
Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Capacity of Sri Lanka
14th - 16th May 2012
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WHO Emergency and
Humanitarian Action (EHA) Programme on SEARO benchmarking on emergency
preparedness and response was carried out on 14th - 16th May 2012 as a joint venture of HEDMaTC, Faculty of
Medicine, Peradeniya, Disaster Preparedness and Response Division of
Ministry of Health (MoH) and the WHO Sri Lanka office.

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World No Tobacco Day 2012
31st May 2012
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The World No Tobacco
Day this year was again commemorated through activities conducted by
various organisations including the Ministry of health, National Authority
on Tobacco and Alcohol as well as NGOs. A media briefing was organized by
the Health Education bureau on 28th May to highlight this years theme for
WNTD—”Stop Tobacco Industry interference” This resulted in much media
publicity in electronic as well as print media especially on the 31st May.

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Launch of the World Report on Disability
30th May 2012
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The 30th of May 2012
was indeed a landmark day for Sri Lanka as this marked the
occurrence of three important events including the launch of the World
report on disability, National Consultation for formulating an action plan
for disability and a national handicraft exhibition and sale by disabled
trainees of the vocational centers situated island wide.

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World Health Day 2012
7th April 2012
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“Good
health adds life to years”
The World Health Organization Country Office for
Sri Lanka (WCO) supported a number of activities to mark the World Health
Day 2012. This year’s theme was “Ageing and Health” with the slogan “Good Health
adds Years to Life”. Ministry of Health, Ministry of Social Services, UN
agencies, diplomats, exministers of health, ministers &
parliamentarians related to health sector, non-governmental organizations
and more importantly the National Secretariat for Elders of the Ministry of
Social Services partnered with WCO in ensuring the success of carrying the
message that:

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Strengthening
Partnerships with Rotary for NCD prevention
10th & 11th February 2012
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The 21st Rotary
District Conference was held on the 10th & 11th February 2012 under the
theme “Embrace Humanity” and it was most encouraging to note that WHO was
invited to speak on Non Communicable Diseases part of the two day
proceedings. The conference brought together Rotarians from all part of the
country with the purpose of advancing the objectives of the rotary movement
through fellowship, presentations and discussions related to key avenues of
rotary service.

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Training for members of the Sri Lanka
Police Lifesaving Unit to the international standard Emergency Medical
Technician (EMT)
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The Sri Lanka Police
have been involved in life saving since 1928 and became an official part of
the National Life Saving Association when it was formed in 1947. They
support the provision of life savers at major public events such as Poson
Poya and sporting activities. Through the years they have continued to
develop their water rescue and basic life support skills. However, for the
first time in its history, the unit now has an elite group of twenty police
men and women who have completed 120 hours of intensive EMT training by Med
1’s International Medical Training Institute in Ratmalana, supported by the
World Health Organization.

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Strengthening Horizontal Collaboration
with Vietnam
in the Area of Tobacco & Alcohol Control
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The delegation was
headed by the vice chairperson of the parliamentary committee for social
affairs and a comprehensive program was organized for them including a
meeting with the Parliamentary committee on health, Ministry of health,
Ministry of finance, Attorney general, Civil society and also a visit to
Kandy to witness a district tobacco control cell. A meeting was organized
at the WHO country office where an informative session was conducted by country
representative WHO, Dr F R Mehta on the role of WHO in NCD prevention in Sri Lanka.

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Launch of the
official website of Cosmetic, Devices and Drugs Regulatory Authority
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The launching of a
website of Cosmetics, Devices & Drugs Regulatory Authority (CDDA) Sri Lanka
marks yet another milestone in the Ministry of Health’s endeavour towards a
transparent, people friendly and effective drug regulatory system. The
website was jointly launched by Hon. Maithripala Sirisena, Minister of
Health and Dr Firdosi Rustom Mehta, WHO Representative to Sri Lanka on 13 January 2012.

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National
Training on healthy ageing—Sri
Lanka
1st & 2nd December 2011
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Sri
Lanka is one of the fastest ageing populations
in Asia. The Sri Lankan population above
60 years is predicted to reach an increase of 24% by 2040. The post
graduate Institute of Medicine in Sri Lanka together with Ministries of
health & Social Services have done much work in this area and embarking
on initiating a diploma course in Elderly Medicine. It was at their request
that the WHO country office together with support from WHO South East Asia
Regional Office supported two day training. Two known experts Prof A. B.
Dey, Professor, department of medicine & Nodal officer at the National institute
of ageing of the all India Medical Institute and Prof Prasad K.Mathew,
Professor, department of Geriatric Medicine, CMC
Hospital, Vellore attended the training as resource
persons. A curriculum for a short course in healthy ageing had already been
prepared by PGIM and this was revised to include topics such as active
& healthy ageing—Policy & Implementation, health promotion in old
age, healthy ageing initiatives, principles of approaching older patients
in clinical practice, developing an old age health care system, elder abuse
& systems review of health & disease in older age.

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The 10th
ASCoN conference
21st & 22nd October 2011
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The 10th ASCoN
conference was organised in Sri
Lanka on the 21st & 22nd October
2011. The Asian Spinal Cord Network (ASCoN) consists of a group of
organisations in the Asia region that have
come together to share and learn from each other in all aspects of spinal
injury management from initial treatment of the patient to re-integration
of the person. The Network has evolved as a catalyst for positive change in
the treatment, rehabilitation and community inclusion of people with spinal
injury across the Asia region. It also
provides an opportunity for people in the Asia
region to come together and network with others regionally and
internationally, to share ideas and discuss or debate dilemmas and the
latest developments and innovations in spinal injury management.

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International
Day of Older Persons
1 October 2011
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International Elders Day
1st October 2011
‘Ageing is not lost youth but a new stage of opportunity and
strength’
On 14th December 1990, the United Nations General
Assembly designated 1 October, the international day of older persons. This
was preceded by initiatives such as the Vienna international
plan of action on Ageing—and endorsed later that year by the UN
general Assembly.

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World Heart Day
29 September 2011
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After two years of focusing on heart health in the work
place, this year the world heart federation calls on individuals to reduce
their own and their family’s risk of heart disease and stroke. World heart
day provides an opportunity to take stock of the situation and lessen the
impact of CVDs though healthy diet, regular physical activity and saying no
to tobacco.

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Sri Lanka unites to prevent and control Non
Communicable Diseases
19 July 2011
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A national
multistakeholder meeting on Non Communicable diseases was held on 19th July
2011 with a
gathering comprising
of central & provincial health ministry officials, other ministerial
officials from the
central line ministries and provinces, academia, private
sector, UN Organisations, NGOs and civil organisations.

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Violence &
Injury Prevention Training Workshop
8 – 10 June 2011
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This training was
the first VIP training that was held in Sri Lanka. There were 45
participants including medical officers NCDs, representative from the road
safety council, national institute of education, drowning prevention unit
of the police. The financial support for this activity was provided by WHO
HQ and regional office.

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World No Tobacco
Day
31 May 2011
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The World No Tobacco
Day was celebrated in Sri
Lanka with a series of events at both
central and district level. The main event on the May 31st itself was
organized by the National Authority of Tobacco & Alcohol (NATA) where a
consultative meeting was held for over 100 participants representing
various governmental departments, the civil society and media. The meeting
was presided by the Hon. Minister of Health, Deputy Minister of Finance and
the Country Representative of WHO. The Health Minister committed to speed
up the amendments making all public places smoke free. He also stressed the
need for politicians to take leadership against the tobacco industry across
the country.

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Social Inclusion
‐ Essential for Better Health
11 May 2011
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An awareness and
educational programme of national importance ,to make the decision makers
and the wider community aware of the important and beneficial aspects of
Social inclusion was conducted by IDIRIYA on the eve of the 11th May with
participation of approximately 150 persons. This event was organised by
IDIRIYA which is a registered non profit humanitarian organization
comprising a group of professional in diverse fields. The chief guest at
the event was Hon. Maithreepala Sirisena—Minister of Health.

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Launch of
“Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011 – 2020”
11 May 2011
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The decade of road safety in Sri Lanka was ceremonially
launched by His Excellency Mahinda Rajapaksa, the President of the
Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka on Wednesday 11th May 2011.
There were over 600 dignitaries present including the Minister of
Transport, Minister of Health , other ministers from relevant ministries, members
of parliament, chief ministers and other officials from the provinces,
mayors of the municipal councils, officials of the relevant ministries
& departments, experts in the field, heads of relevant international agencies,
heads of foreign missions, heads of media institutions, students,
representatives of relevant civil organizations & the private sector. Framework
of Action for Road Safety 
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Workshop for finalization of
the National Action Plan on Ageing
31 March 2011
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A workshop for the finalization of the national action plan for ageing
was conducted on the 31st March with approximately 120 persons
participating from a wide variety of ministries, public sector, private
sector, civil societies & non governmental organizations. A draft
action plan was available with 19 strategies identified under 4 priority
areas namely, Elders & development, Advancing health and well being in
old age, ensuring, enabling and supportive environments &
implementation & follow up. The participants were divided into groups
to discuss and finalise the action points under the 19 strategic areas.

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‘Life is for
Living’ – Walk for Cancer
06 March 2011
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We all had a reason to walk… There were cancer survivors... there were
persons who had family members with cancer or friends with cancer...
This was the beginning of a long walk in raising awareness for a condition that is
preventable….

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WHO Country
Office for Sri Lanka Staff Retreat 2011
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All staff participated in a two and a half day
staff retreat in the coastal town of Bentota,
60km away from Colombo.
This retreat was after lapse of one year and eight months. It was
encouraging to see 44 members (near 100%) of the staff participating
including field staff from the Jaffna
and Vavuniya field offices. A team of facilitators, namely 3rd Wave was
contracted to conduct sessions and activities and exercises on “Team Building” which was the main focus
of the retreat.

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International
Women’s Day 2011
Equal access to
education, training, and science and technology: Pathway to decent work for
women
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The 100th commemoration of International Women’s
Day stresses the importance of equal access to education, training and
science and technology to drive economic growth, empower women and ensure
the well being of their families, their communities and nations.
To make the centenary events, WHO too as member of
UNCT participated in various activities scheduled for the day. WR
participated in an exhibition organized by the founder of ‘Dilani Kantha
Shakthi Foundation” to help women to come up in life on their own and
generate income of their own to better their lives and that of their
children. WHO Gender & HPE focal point participated as resource person
for briefing of print media journalist on the 24th of February and also in
a live telecast on Shakthi TV in Tamil on 8th March as a panelist on a
discussion and to answer questions from viewers to mark the centenary
events of International Women’s Day of 2011.

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Flash Floods –
January 2011
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The rains that started in November 2010 affecting 5
districts then, has continued throughout December and into January 2011.
The areas currently affected are more towards the central and eastern part
of the country. Today, another 2 districts reported being affected by flash
floods as a result of the on-going heavy rains, bringing the total number
of affected districts to 16. These districts include Batticaloa,
Polonnaruwa, Monaragala, Nuwara Eliya, Anuradhapura,
Badulla, Kegalle, Kandy,
Ampara, Trincomalee, Matale, Ratnapura and Kurunegala, Mullaitivu districts
with Puttalam and Mannar also being affected. Batticaloa, Ampara and
Trincomalee districts are the most affected.
Situation
Reports
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WHO SEARO Regional
Director’s Visit to Sri
Lanka
6-9 December 2010
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The
Regional Director of World Health Organization Regional Office for
South-East Asia (WHO SEARO), Dr Samlee Plianbangchang visited Sri Lanka
from 6 – 9 December 2010. The main purpose was to visit the National
Institute of Health Science to extend his support to make this a Regional
training centre for public health workforce and to exchange ties with the
Ministry of Health and WHO Country Office for Sri Lanka. RD’s last visit to Sri Lanka was in April 2008 to launch and
open the Public Health Lounge in Colombo.

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World Diabetes
Day
14 November 2010
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2010 marks the second year of the five-year focus
on 'Diabetes education and prevention", the theme selected for World
Diabetes Day 2009-2013. The campaign calls on all those responsible for
diabetes care to take control of diabetes. For the general public and
people at high risk of diabetes, the campaign aims to raise awareness and
disseminate tools for prevention. For people with diabetes, the focus will
be on disseminating tools to improve knowledge of the disease in order to
better understand it and prevent complications. For governments and
policymakers, efforts will go towards communicating the cost-effective
implications of diabetes prevention strategies and promoting diabetes
education as a core component of diabetes management and treatment.

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World Stroke Day
29 October 2011
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On World Stroke Day, 29 October 2010, the World
Stroke Organisation launched the “1 in 6” campaign. The theme was
identified to mirror today’s reality that one in six people worldwide will
have a stroke in their lifetime. A simple life-saving message on World Stroke
Day was released : Do not take chances. One in six people is at risk for
stroke – it could be you. Learn the facts. Save a life today. Act Now!

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BUDGET 2011: A Positive
Step Towards the Prevention & Control of Non Communicable Diseases
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A
three year action plan targeting the control of non communicable diseases
will be implemented from 2011 through improvements in the primary health
care system. An additional allocation of Rs 900 million for this has been
proposed.
A sum of Rs
200 million will be allocated to implement “Mathata Thitha” initiative
aggressively in every single village and township as a national priority.
Increase Tax
on profits of businesses engaged in the manufacture & distribution of
liquor, cigarettes and casinos from 35% to 40%.

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Visit of Mr
Yohei Sasakawa WHO Goodwill Ambassador to Sri Lanka
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Mr Yohei Sasakawa is Chairman of The Nippon
Foundation, a private, non-profit foundation established in 1962 for the
purpose of carrying out philanthropic activities, using revenue from motorboat
racing. Mr Sasakawa joined the Foundation as a trustee in 1981, served as
president from 1989 and became Chairman on 1 July 2005.

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WHO Support to
Humanitarian Efforts in Sri
Lanka
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WHO support to humanitarian efforts in North Sri Lanka has been mainly directed through the
Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Northern Provincial Ministry of Health.
The aim of WHO support is to ensure that everyone has access to adequate
and essential health care services whether they are in the Internally
Displaced Personnel (IDP) Welfare Centers or in their areas of origin in
the Vanni following the Government’s accelerated programme of resettlement.

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Quality
Improvement For Trauma Care – Sri Lanka
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This course was initially developed by the injury
and violence prevention Department of the WHO Geneva and the college of Surgeons
of Sri Lanka
headed by Dr Ranjith Ellawela initiated to hold this course in Sri for the
very first time.
The
inauguration ceremony was held at the Auditorium of the College of Surgeons
of Sri Lanka
on 20th September. The attendees included Country Representative for WHO Dr Firdosi Rustom Mehta and Additional
secretary of Medical Services from the
Ministry of Health Colombo Dr P.G. Maheepala, all the overseas
faculty members and all participants were present for the inauguration.

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DPM addresses
the 17th Annual Scientific Sessions of the College of Medical
Administrators of Sri Lanka
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The 17th Annual Scientific Sessions of
the College of Medical Administrators of Sri Lanka was ceremonially
inaugurated at the Waters Edge, Battaramulla recently. The College of
Medical Administrators of Sri Lanka is a professional body established to
encourage and develop the capacity of members who are involved in the
management of health care institutions of the country. It has a membership
of over 170 professionals who are from the Ministry of Health, Provincial
Health Institutions, Armed Forces and Private sector Medical Institutions.

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Community
Housing Project 2009-2010 Halfway Home-Mulleriyawa,
Sri Lanka
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There are approximately 600 patients with chronic
mental health needs and different levels of functional capacities in the
Psychiatric Institute Angoda. In addition to rehabilitation, discharging
these patients is challenging.In many cases, families have destituted
them leaving the patient stranded in the hospital. This affects the
confidence and self-esteem of the patient who would be otherwise
discharged.
Approximately
200 women are fit for discharge and able to work out side the Psychiatric
Institute.

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WORLD HEALTH DAY
2010: Urbanization and Health –
Urban Health Matters
|
World Health Organization Country Office
(WCO) Sri Lanka
has supported activities to mark the World Health Day 2010 together with
its counterparts. Relevant directorates of Ministry of Health, non health
government organizations, UN agencies, and nongovernmental organizations
and more importantly the municipalities and urban councils have been
invited to partner with WCO in ensuring the success of this endeavor.

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External Review
of National Response to TB control
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Prevalence of Tuberculosis (TB) in Sri Lanka
is low in comparison to other countries in South East Asia (SEA). Multi-drug resistance levels and
incidence of TB-HIV are also low.
Key achievements of the National TB Programme are that both case
detection and treatment success global targets have been reached and
sustained mainly due to good implementation of Directly Observed Treatment
Strategy (DOTS). The overall default rate has dropped to over 12% to 6%
within five years due to intensified default tracing efforts involving all
the categories of health staff at field level.

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International
Women’s Day 2010
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The
International Women’s Day (IWD) is celebrated annually on the 8th
of March. In Sri Lanka the United Nations (UN) inaugurated IWD on the 5th
of March as 8th was packed with various other activities for the
local partners, under the global theme “Equal Rights, equal opportunities:
Progress for all”

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Humanitarian Situation in North Sri Lanka
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As of the end of November, MoH reported that about
16,000 IDPs remain in Menik Farm, being accommodated in zones 0, 1 and 3.
Zones 2 & 4 were closed during the middle of November where IDPs
voluntarily moved to zones 0 & 1. Competent Authority reports about
20,000 still remain and the discrepancy is due to the fact that a
considerable number through registered in Menik Farm stay outside using the
“pass system”. So far, about 70,000 people have resettled back to Jaffna, another 55,000
back to Mullaitivu, 120,000 to Kilinochchi, Mannar 50,000 and Vavuniya with
50,000.

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Significant Days
in the UN Calendar
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April 04
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- International Day
for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action
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April 07
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- World Health Day
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April 23
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- World Book and
Copyright Day
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More Information…
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