Daily News Editorial

A great achievement

10 September 2016

The rest of the Third World has always looked enviously at Sri Lanka’s excellent free education and health care systems which all Governments since independence have nurtured and developed. In fact, most of our health indices are either on par with or very close to those of the developed world. This is a singular achievement for an emerging economy in South Asia, which is generally regarded as one of the world’s poorest regions. Our post-independence leaders may have committed certain mistakes in other matters of policy, but they did not waver in their commitment to the policy of free healthcare and education, which are also inextricably linked.

This policy has borne fruit in ample measure judging by Sri Lanka’s health track record, which has now been internationally recognized. The World Health Organisation (WHO) presented Sri Lanka with three certificates for eliminating three deadly diseases from its soil at the 69th Session of the WHO Regional Committee of South-East Asia held in Colombo. Malaria, Filaria and Neonatal Tetanus are still deadly diseases that adversely affect millions every year in the developing world. Yet, Sri Lanka has succeeded in eliminating these diseases completely, marking a significant milestone in its healthcare programme. Sri Lanka has also fulfilled the criteria for certifying it Rubella-free and is due to receive a certificate to that effect.

Sri Lanka is one of the very few countries, developed or developing, that has received such multiple accolades from the WHO, including the Award for Excellence in Public Health presented to President Maithripala Sirisena. In fact, only one other country in our region (The Maldives) has managed to eliminate Malaria before Sri Lanka, but one has to compare the two populations (Maldives 370,000 vs. Sri Lanka 21 million) and differences in topography to comprehend the scale of the challenge faced by Sri Lanka. Only 33 countries worldwide have been certified Malaria-free. In other South Asian countries, Malaria, which claimed 400,000 lives worldwide last year, is still rampant. Sri Lanka almost achieved the “zero-Malaria” feat way back in 1963 when only 17 cases of infection were reported islandwide from 2.8 million cases in 1947, but the disease roared back to life as complacency set in. It took another 50 years for the health authorities to wipe-out the disease.

Sri Lanka’s achievement and its recognition by WHO has come under intense scrutiny by the world media, which analysed how Sri Lanka managed the impossible despite a debilitating conflict, limited resources and remoteness/inaccessibility of certain areas. CNN even went to the extent of asking its viewers “can Sri Lanka show the world how to end Malaria?”. Going through the media analysis, two factors always come up on top – consistency and commitment. “It was a hard fight, [but] this is an example to the rest of the world,” said Dr. Pedro Alonso, Director of the WHO Global Malaria Programme. The authorities set up mobile malaria clinics that diagnosed and treated people much earlier, accompanied by mosquito eradication programmes, regular surveillance, community engagement and education programmes to make sure people knew the symptoms. These strategies worked well to keep malaria at bay and much the same strategies worked for the other diseases that have been eliminated within Sri Lanka.

One other factor that should be attributed to Sri Lanka’s success is its close relationship with the United Nations and WHO, along with agencies that have a bearing on health such as Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) and UNICEF. The vaccine programmes for certain childhood diseases conducted in collaboration with the UN have been a great success and most of these diseases too have been nearly eliminated. Even at the height of the conflict, the vaccine programmes were carried out throughout the country including in the North and the East.

But Sri Lanka cannot afford to rest on its laurels. New threats to public health are emerging all the time. The Zika virus is an example of a disease carrying pathogen that can travel around the world. More than 200 cases of Zika infection have been reported in neighbouring Singapore, just a few months after it was first reported in South America. Sri Lanka must take all possible steps to keep this and other such diseases at bay. Dengue is still prevalent in Sri Lanka and has claimed many lives in several districts. As in the case of Malaria, the adage “prevention is better than cure” applies to dengue – all steps must be taken to destroy mosquito breeding grounds.

It all boils down to education – the other factor in the health equation. In Sri Lanka, health awareness and education begins at a very young age, which has also contributed to the present success story. Programmes such as the free mid day meal to schoolchildren have enhanced their nutritional status. The media, print and electronic, must step in to fill any lacunae in general health education to take Sri Lanka even beyond the Sustainable Development Goals envisaged by the UN in the health arena.