Estate and Urban Health Unit

මිහින්දුසෙන්පුර සහ සියපත් සෙවන , දෙමටගොඩ : නගර සුව නියමුවෝ
Urban Champions; Mihindusenpura and Siyapathsewana , Dematagoda- Training completed in14 Urban undetsettled flat complexes .Joint project with Estate and Urban Health Unit, Urban Development Authority and Colombo Municipal Council.
නාගරික නව මහල් නිවාස 14 ක නගර සුව නියමුවන් පුහුණුකර අවසන් වුනා.

නගර සුව නියමුවෝ , කොලොන්නාව, ලක්සද සෙවන සහ සන්හිද සෙවන .
Urban Champions, Kolonnawa Laksanda Sewana and Sanhinda Sewana. Partners: Estate and Urban Health unit, Ministry of Health, Urban Development Authority, Kolonnawa MOH and Kolonnawa Urban Council.

Advocacy meeting on Estate Health communication platform development - 15th September 2023



Preventive and curative healthcare provision for the estate sector in Sri Lanka is carried out by the Ministry of Health. However, plantation companies still provide basic curative care services through health workers recruited by the companies for their worker population. Furthermore, lack of effective communication and understanding of the preventive health sector and the plantation management adversely affect the healthcare provision to the already deprived estate population. The Directorate of Estate and Urban Health (E&UH), which is the focal point for estate health in Sri Lanka, does not have a designated person in the regions to communicate problems relevant to estate community directly to the unit. Therefore, the development of a communication platform between the filed level preventive sector staff and the estate management, for mutual understanding and transparency of activities, would enable efficient conduct of health promotion activities for the estate community.

The Estate Health Communication Platform consists of six to ten members working at field level. Members of EHV are as follows:

Permanent members -
1. Estate Manager permanent Co-heads in

2. Medical Officer of Health in the area – permanent

(Estate Manager and MOH in the area are Co- heads in organizing meetings)

3. Divisional Medical Officer/ Medical Officer In Charge

4. Supervising Public Health Inspector - permanent

5. Supervising Public Health Midwife - permanent

6. Public Health Nursing Sister

7. Public Health Nursing Officer

Optional intermittent members (depending on the situation and connections with the MOH and Estate Manager) -
1. Police
2. Principal of an estate school
3. Divisional Secretary (DS)
4. Plantation Community Communication Facilitator (DS office)
5. Officer from PHDT

The team needs to meet regularly, ideally monthly, to discuss health related issues relevant to the estate population under care (a feasible time, place and mode of meeting to be decided by MOH and Estate Manager). The team should identify problems in the relevant estate population and develop low cost or free solutions. The meetings will be technically supported by the E&UH unit as and when necessary. The team is responsible for conducting health promotion activities for the estate population.

Estate and Urban Health Unit has supported the development of 62 communication platforms in 11 districts with Estate population.

Our unit conducted an advocacy meeting with relevant stakeholders to re-vamp the communication platforms on 15th September 2023.

Capacity building programmes for estate sector youth groups

Estate and Urban Health Unit conducted capacity building programmes selected estate sector youth groups expecting them to be more empowered and confident in their abilities to take up leadership roles and contribute positively to their communities.

Youth health promotion programmes were held in Nuwara Eliya district in three divisional Secretariat areas, Walapane, Nuwara Eliya and Ambagamuwa, conducted in collaboration with Medical Officers of Health (MOOH) Ragala, Kotagala and Bogawanthalawa, respectively. Youth participants in each MOOH area were gathered with the support of the relevant Youth Service Officer/s (YSOs) attached to the Divisional Secretariat along with PHMM/ PHII in the MOH area. Also, good inter-sectoral collaboration was seen in the conduct of the three programmes.

Youth health programme review was conducted after three months from the three programmes. It was conducted with the participation of ten selected participants from each programme along with YSOs, programme officers at Regional Director of Health Services Nuwara Eliya and Medical Officers of Health and field health staff of the three MOH offices. All selected youth participants were given certificates of excellence and among them nine (three from each Division) were selected and presented with certificates of outstanding performance.

Special training on legal background for MOOH serving for urban areas.
Estate and urban health unit, ministry of health, as the focal point for urban health, coordinated the program. Resources: Dr Charirh Hettiarachchi, CCP attached to RD office, Kalutara and Mr Chandana Mannapperuma Commissioner, MC Dehiwala Mt Lavinia.

The capacity building programmes for Praja Shakthi Officers and Plantation Community Communication Facilitators (PCCF)



In addition to plantation health workers, two capacity building programmes on prevention of alcohol to***co and other substances was conducted for non-health plantation workers, Praja Shakthi Officers (PSO) and Plantation Community Communication Facilitators (PCCF), working under the New Village Development Authority. They were considered, as they work closely with estate sector communities, especially with adolescent and youth groups. These two groups supported the health sector immensely during the COVID period, and at present, willingly support any health initiative. Therefore, improving the capacity of PSO and PCCF will help to raise awareness of the estate community.