Healthy Lifestyle Centres: a service for screening noncommunicable diseases through primary health-care institutions in Sri Lanka.
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Date
2016-09
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
WHO Regional Office for South-East Asia
Abstract
The Ministry of Health in Sri Lanka initiated the Healthy Lifestyle Centres (HLCs)
in 2011, to address the lack of a structured noncommunicable disease (NCD)
screening service through the lowest level of primary health-care institutions.
The main service objective of the HLCs is to reduce the risk of NCDs of
40–65 year olds by detecting risk factors early and improving access to specialized
care for those with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The screened
clients are managed at HLCs, based on the total-risk approach to assess their
10-year CVD risk, using the World Health Organization/International Society of
Hypertension risk-prediction chart. Those with a 10-year CVD risk of more than
30% are referred to the specialized medical clinics, while others are managed with
lifestyle modification and are requested to visit the HLC for rescreening, based
on the levels of CVD risk and intermediate risk factors. Identified challenges to
date include: underutilization of services, especially by men; weak staff adherence
to protocols; lack of integration into pre-existing NCD-screening services;
non-inclusion of screening for all the major NCDs; and human resources. The
government plans to address these challenges as a priority, within the context of
the National multisectoral action plan for the prevention and control of NCDs in Sri
Lanka 2016–2020. Key interventions include: extended opening hours for HLCs,
outreach activities in workplaces, and integration with “well woman clinics”. Costs
related to actions have been realistically estimated. Some actions have already
been initiated, while others are being designed with identified funds.
Description
Keywords
cardiovascular disease, noncommunicable diseases, primary health care, screening, Sri Lanka
Citation
WHO South-East Asia Journal of Public Health 2016;5(2): 89-95.