WHO PUBLICATIONS DIRECTLY FOCUSING SRI LANKA AND THEIR ALIGNMENT WITH SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS (SDGS): A THEMATIC ANALYSIS

Abstract

This study explores publications mentioning the country name 'Sri Lanka' in their titles, retrieved from the Institutional Repository for Information Sharing (IRIS) of the World Health Organization (WHO), published from 2015 to date, via a Thematic Analysis framework. The analysis revealed eight (08) major themes which are related to the WHO publications on Sri Lanka named; (01) Strengthening Health Systems (02) Infectious Disease Control and Surveillance (03) Noncommunicable Diseases and Risk Factor Management (04) Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health (05) Mental Health and Psycho-social Wellbeing (06) Emergency Preparedness and Pandemic Response (07) Health Equity, Gender, and Human Rights (08) Public Health Policy, Governance and Multisectoral Collaboration. Further, these themes were cross-checked against the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of the United Nations (UN). The aim was to have an insight on to which extent these publications have addressed SDGs. The findings revealed that the themes derived from WHO publications have addressed several SDGs, with special reference to the goal number 3 (health and well-being). Within goal number 3, the sub-goals such as SDG 3.5, SDG 3.9 and SDG 3.b have been less addressed. Also, 'Digital Health Promotion', which is an emerging topic in the world, is less addressed by WHO publications focusing on Sri Lanka. A significant proportion of the publications (31.7%) consisted of original research articles. Furthermore, 85.8% of the publications had actionable policy recommendations. Eight (08) key operationalizing mechanisms/tools mentioned cross the publications were identified. They are (01) Health Service Delivery Models and Strategic Frameworks, (02) Resource Planning & Financing, (03) Screening & Clinical Protocols, (04) Intersectoral Collaboration & Governance, (05) Emergency Preparedness & Pandemic Response, (06) Surveillance & Monitoring Systems, (07) Digital Health & Innovation, (08) One Health & Zoonotic Risk Assessment. These tools underscore the efforts of WHO in translating policy and knowledge into ground-level action, to provide a better healthcare service in Sri Lanka.