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CCPSL to ensure that every baby thrives and every community flourishes
View(s):By Kumudini Hettiarachchi
With birth symbolising the beginning of a unique path, offering an opportunity to engage with life’s mysteries, seek understanding and shape identity and destiny, the promise of the new President of the College of Community Physicians of Sri Lanka (CCPSL), Dr. Kapila Jayaratne is: “Ensuring every baby thrives, every community flourishes.”
CCPSL President Dr. Kapila Jayaratne addressing the gathering
The health of a nation’s children speaks directly about that nation’s future, he reiterated at his induction on October 10, pointing out that his promise and theme are embodied in his core belief that if “we can ensure every baby is born into a world where they have the opportunity to thrive, we can build communities that flourish in health, prosperity and potential”.
He said: “Our role as public health professionals is to make this vision a reality and I pledge that during my tenure, our focus will be on ensuring that no child is left behind from the moment of conception through adolescence.”
Dr, Jayaratne pointed out that the Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) significantly influence individual health by shaping the conditions in which people live, work and interact with their environments. These determinants include factors such as income, education, employment, social support networks, access to healthcare, and the physical conditions of neighbourhoods.
Quoting the 2021 annual report of the Family Health Bureau (FHB), he said that there are 313,333 pregnancies in Sri Lanka each year but early losses include 26,708 miscarriages and even later 1,777 stillbirths.
Of 284,848 live births, 49,563 (17.4%) of the babies have a low birth weight. Not all babies are healthy too, he said, pointing out that there are 2,563 infant deaths with some dying before their first birthday. The leading causes of infant deaths include birth defects (46.8%); prematurity (26.8%); birth asphyxia (12.7%); and neonatal sepsis (6.4%).
Dr. Jayaratne said that to ensure every baby thrives, he and his team would address barriers to maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) services; ensure feto-infant and child survival; celebrate every birth by making efforts to prevent birth defects and address issues in congenital lethal malformations; focus on child nutrition, paediatric non-communicable diseases (NCDs), teenage pregnancies and mental health; and strive to provide safe environments through initiatives such as healthy schoolbags and prevention of childhood injuries.
From left: CCPSL Treasurer, Dr. Thushani Dabrera; Director, Family Health Gender and Life Course, World Health Organization SEARO & Guest of Honour, Dr. Anoma Jayathilake; Health Secretary & Guest of Honour, Dr. Palitha Mahipala; CCPSL’s Immediate Past President, Dr. Shiromi Maduwage; CCPSL President, Dr. Kapila Jayaratne; former Governor of the Western Province & Chief Guest, Marshal of the Air Force Roshan Goonetilleke; and CCPSL Secretary, Dr. Ruwan Ferdinando
With regard to flourishing communities, he said that efforts would be made to re-orient public health based on a recipient perspective; address gender implications on health and well-being and the impact on health equity; support the delivery of NCD services through primary health care in Sri Lanka; and establish inter-collegial and global partnerships for better health outcomes.
He promised to rebrand the CCPSL to meet the demands of a rapidly changing world and strive to be the “trusted voice” on matters of public health, working with government agencies, international organizations and the private sector to shape policies that improve health outcomes across the country.
Underscoring that their commitment to child health should be seen in the broader context of community well-being, he said that forchildren to thrive, the communities in which they are raised should be healthy, resilient and empowered.
“It is not the work of one individual or one institution but a collective mission that we, healthcare professionals, policymakers, researchers and advocates who work tirelessly for the health of our nation, all share,” Dr. Jayaratne said, adding that “together we can build a future where no child is held back by preventable illness, where every family has the support they need to thrive and where Sri Lanka stands as a leader in public health innovation and policy”.
The distinguished audience
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