Features
Medical Collaboration at the forefront of the UK-Sri Lanka partnership
by British High Commissioner Andrew Patrick
One of the most important ongoing partnerships between the UK and Sri Lanka is in the field of medicine. Medical collaboration between the UK and Sri Lanka has been at the forefront of our relationship over the years, and British-Sri Lankans continue to play an instrumental role in the UK’s health system. While many of Sri Lanka’s doctors do leave for the UK to pursue their studies, this exchange is not without its benefits.
I witnessed one of the results of this collaboration when I visited the University of Kelaniya some weeks back to learn about the pioneering work that is being done to combat Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) not only in Sri Lanka but also in the South Asian region.
The project is the University of Kelaniya’s partnership with Imperial College London under the Global Health Research Unit on Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease in South Asia. I learnt that diabetes and heart disease which are common to countries in South Asia are worsening as lifestyles have changed over time. By uniting experts from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the UK, this programme focuses on developing and implementing actions that can improve public health across the region.
The work looks at activities that can start small but be scaled up to cover entire countries. I learnt from speaking to representatives that in Bangladesh, for example, the initiative is centred around encouraging people to change specific behaviours, by working with communities to help them adopt healthier practices. In Sri Lanka, collaboration is also founded on community-based approaches that are key in preventing type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular conditions – again, with the aim to work with government to roll these out across the whole country.
By working together across South Asia, and with Imperial College in London, the project aims to look for parallels in the region, so countries can learn from each other, and colleagues from Imperial can learn from the South Asian experience, and feed in their international expertise.
While I was in Kelaniya, I also had the opportunity to witness the skill and commitment of the Sri Lankan medical community through two projects that displayed Sri Lanka’s innovative approach to addressing health challenges. First, at the new building of the Colombo North Centre for Liver Diseases, experts told me that Sri Lanka is in danger of a liver disease epidemic, resulting in many adults but also children, who are desperately awaiting liver transplants.
The Centre is responding by performing several of these vital operations every day. It was heartening to see children who had recently undergone successful liver transplants beginning the process of adjusting to normal life. This was a testament to Sri Lanka’s remarkable healthcare professionals – the hospital being almost entirely staffed by volunteers from the University’s medical faculty.
The second was the Ayati Centre, Sri Lanka’s national centre for children with special needs. This is another story of how volunteers and charitable donations have built something truly remarkable. The centre addresses critical gaps in care for children with disabilities and offers services such as hearing and brainwave testing for developmental assessments, and even produces its own orthotics to support movement. I was particularly moved to meet an adult with special needs who continues to receive care through Ayati’s comprehensive services. The commitment of everyone involved to provide free and wholistic care to children and families was impressive.
Just before my visit to Kelaniya I had attended the opening of a seminar on anti-microbial resistance sponsored by the UK’s Fleming Fund, which is part of a longer-term collaboration. Anti-microbial resistance is a worldwide problem, where bacteria evolves to become immune to medicines. It’s no exaggeration to say this is one of the most serious health challenges we face in the twenty first century. It is through global collaboration, of which Sri Lanka is part of, that tackling issues like these can happen.
My conclusion from these visits is that the medical partnership between Sri Lanka and the UK is a true partnership, where in some areas the UK can bring expertise, and in others the UK can learn from the world leading experts you have in Sri Lanka. Partnerships between nations are not only about advancing research, but also about making a real difference in people’s lives. Through these efforts and initiatives, the UK remains committed to support global health initiatives and recognises that collaboration is key to properly address the challenges we face.