Sri Lanka marks 100 years of Public Health Service…

The centenary celebration of Sri Lanka’s Public Health Service was held on Tuesday at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) in Colombo, under the patronage of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. Sri Lanka’s Public Health Service began with the establishment of the Kalutara National Health Unit in 1926 as the first field health unit in the South Asian region. Today, the Public Health Service has developed into an extensive network comprising more than 362 Medical Officer of Health (MOH) divisions, with public health teams forming the backbone of the service. Several publications were also launched under the patronage of the President, including a centenary commemorative publication and a White Paper outlining the future direction of Sri Lanka’s community health service.