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| Thursday, 17 June 2004 |
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US $ 60m World Bank grant for health sector The Government will work to improve the efficiency and quality of its healthcare system with support from a US $ 60 million grant, approved yesterday by the World Bank. Improving access, particularly to the country's poorest people, will be a priority as the government strives to strengthen the system at the district, provincial, and central levels, the World Bank said yesterday. The Health Sector Development Project (HSDP) will focus on supporting and strengthening existing preventive care services. The objectives of the project are fully aligned with the World Bank's Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) for Sri Lanka, which supports equal access to public services for all Sri Lankans. "Sri Lanka has achieved extraordinarily good health outcomes. The World Bank is happy to support the Government's efforts to implement the changes that are needed for the country to remain a high performer in health," said Peter Harrold, World Bank Country Director for Sri Lanka. He added that, while Sri Lanka holds a unique position in South Asia as one of the first developing countries to provide universal health and education coverage, there was a need to strengthen services for the economically vulnerable, poor and conflict-affected people, and workers in the estate sector. The first component (US $ 40 million) will be allocate to the Provincial Councils and district health authorities to strengthen the maternal and child health program. It will focus on preventive health care and service delivery to poor communities and undeserved areas. The second component (US $ 14 million) will support central programs and hospitals across the country. It addresses the emerging needs related to noncommunicable diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes, and some of the structural deficiencies in the hospital network. The third component (US $ 8.9 million) will strengthen the management capacity of the Ministry of Health and increase the reliability, transparency, and accountability of the public health system. "The project is built on successful experience in the health sector in the country and will support Sri Lanka's efforts to reach the most disadvantaged groups and to modernize its health sector," said Michele Gragnolati, World Bank Senior Economist and task leader for the project. The US $ 60 million grant is from the International Development Association, the concessionary arm of the World Bank. |
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