Sri Lanka and the Covid 19 Crisis: Strategies and Future Challenges

Senevirathna, A. M. W. K.

doi:10.3126/tuj.v34i0.31546

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…During this time, the health workforce was provided regularly updated guidelines for IPC. 14 , 15 However, as the country reopened, infections began to rise. This led to several challenges in containing the pandemic, including obtaining a steady supply of vaccines to reduce community transmission, and in April 2021, cases sharply rose.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Implementation of a coronavirus disease 2019 infection prevention and control training program in a low-middle income country

Perera

Haldane²,

Ratnapalan³

et al. 2022

JBI Evidence Implementation

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Introduction and aims:The COVID-19 pandemic poses an ongoing risk to health workers globally. This is particularly true in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where resource constraints, ongoing waves of infection, and limited access to vaccines disproportionately burden health systems. Thus, infection prevention and control (IPC) training for COVID-19 remains an important tool to safeguard health workers. We report on the implementation of evidence-based and role-specific COVID-19 IPC training for health workers in a hospital and public health field setting in Sri Lanka.Methods:We describe the development of training materials, which were contextualized to local needs and targeted to different staffing categories including support staff. We describe development of role- and context-specific IPC guidelines and accompanying training materials and videos during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. We describe in-person training activities and an overview of session leadership and participation.Results:Key to program implementation was the role of champions in facilitating the training, as well as delivery of training sessions featuring multi-media videos and role play to enhance the training experience. A total of 296 health workers participated in the training program sessions. Of these, 198 were hospital staff and 98 were from the public health workforce. Of the 296 health workers who participated in a training session, 277 completed a pre-test questionnaire and 256 completed post-test questionnaires. A significant increase in knowledge score was observed among all categories of staff who participated in training;however, support staff had the lowest pre-test knowledge on IPC practices at 71%, which improved to only 77% after the formal class.Conclusion:Implementing an IPC training program during a complex health emergency is a challenging, yet necessary task. Leveraging champions, offering training through multiple modalities including the use of videos and role play, as well as inclusion of all staff categories, is crucial to making training accessible.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Leveraging the strength of these pre-existing public health teams, Sri Lanka successfully contained the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. During this time, the health workforce was provided regularly updated guidelines for IPC 14,15 . However, as the country reopened, infections began to rise.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Implementation of a coronavirus disease 2019 infection prevention and control training program in a low-middle income country

Perera

Haldane²,

Ratnapalan³

et al. 2022

JBI Evidence Implementation

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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Policy responses to COVID-19 in Sri Lanka and the consideration of Indigenous Peoples

Galappaththi

Perera

Dharmasiri

et al. 2023

Environmental Science & Policy

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Militarized Development in Post‐war Sri Lanka: Consolidating Control

Kelegama

2024

Development and Change

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Development is an important, yet contentious word, in the history of post‐colonial Sri Lanka. Typically, it is linked with economic progress and societal change, intricately woven into political processes and frequently utilized as a platform to promote Sinhala‐Buddhist ethnonationalist agendas. This article looks at post‐colonial Sri Lanka's ‘core development project’ — the Mahaweli Development Programme — and its post‐war revival with the military as a key actor. Through a detailed ethnographic study, it traces the way in which the military assumed extraordinary powers and became vital to the post‐colonial project of development and the militarized practices that enabled this. The author argues that this project of militarized development unfolds in a fourfold manner: by normalizing the presence of the military; by ensuring the military is seen as charitable; by blurring the boundaries between the military and civilians; and lastly by portraying the work carried out by the military as transformative. The article concludes by demonstrating that this militarized project of development is the latest iteration of the long‐standing post‐colonial project of Sinhala‐Buddhist state expansion, enabled through development.

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Sri Lanka and the Covid 19 Crisis: Strategies and Future Challenges

Cited by 4 publications

References 4 publications

Implementation of a coronavirus disease 2019 infection prevention and control training program in a low-middle income country

Implementation of a coronavirus disease 2019 infection prevention and control training program in a low-middle income country

Policy responses to COVID-19 in Sri Lanka and the consideration of Indigenous Peoples

Militarized Development in Post‐war Sri Lanka: Consolidating Control

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