Department of Community and Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Jaffna, Jaffna, Sri Lanka.
Global Health. 2019 Nov 28;15(Suppl 1):75. doi: 10.1186/s12992-019-0522-6.
Sri Lanka reports impressive health indicators compared to its peers in the South Asian region. Maternal and infant mortality are relatively low, and several intractable communicable diseases have been eliminated. The publicly financed and delivered "free" healthcare system has been critical to these health achievements. Placing the country's healthcare system in historical context, this commentary analyses the contradictions and political tensions surrounding Sri Lanka's 2018 Universal Health Coverage (UHC) policy, with attention to the Ministry of Health's plans for public-private partnerships (PPP). As economic exigencies and private interests increasingly erode the 1951 "Free Health" policy, this commentary calls for a re-envisioning of UHC that can meet people's aspirations for health and social justice.
与南亚地区的其他国家相比，斯里兰卡在卫生指标方面表现出色。其母婴死亡率相对较低，并且几种棘手的传染病已被消灭。公共资助和提供的“免费”医疗保健系统对这些健康成就至关重要。本文将斯里兰卡的医疗保健系统置于历史背景下，分析了围绕 2018 年全民健康覆盖（UHC）政策的矛盾和政治紧张局势，重点关注卫生部的公私合作伙伴关系（PPP）计划。随着经济压力和私人利益日益侵蚀 1951 年的“免费医疗”政策，本文呼吁重新构想 UHC，以满足人们对健康和社会正义的期望。
