Health hand book for all Lankans

Nadira GUNATILLEKE

Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena has instructed Ministry officials to produce a `Health Hand Book' for the use of all Sri Lankan families, especially schoolchildren and their parents.

The hand book will include all topics such as public health, STD/HIV control, problems and answers relevant to adolescent and general knowledge on health, a Health Ministry spokesman said.

According to the spokesman, Minister Sirisena yesterday instructed Ministry Additional Secretary Dr Palitha Maheepala to appoint a special committee consisting representatives from all units of the Health Ministry and the Education Ministry to formulate and publish this hand book. The book will be published and distributed among all families and libraries free of charge before the end of this year.

The main objective of this hand book is providing answers and knowledge to Sri Lankans on their day to day health problems and requirements.

Almost every media publish, telecast and broadcast health programs but never reach the entire public and do not cover all areas on health.

Most such programs aim at popular topics on health. The other problem is the public cannot keep the knowledge given to them over television or radio programs and use it when required, he said.