Strategic decisions to reorientpopulation-based prevention and clinic- and hospital-basedcare policies toward non-communicable diseases (NCDs) willenable healthier aging and reduce loss of productivity amongthe working-age population in Sri Lanka. This report aims tostimulate policy dialogue for NCDs and to provide anevidence base to facilitate decisions. Its focus is mainlyon chronic NCDs-that is, cardiovascular disease (CVD),diabetes, and asthma/chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD), and to a lesser extent cancer-and their majormodifiable risk factors (tobacco use, unhealthy diet, lackof exercise, and harmful alcohol use). This is not todetract, though, from the importance of injuries and mentalhealth since both are major issues that carry a huge burden,as supported by evidence in this report. Several major areasfor policies and actions emerged from the analysis of SriLanka's health sector organization and capacity as wellas its NCD orientation. Some areas are not specific to NCDsbut, rather, will strengthen the health sector generallywhile leading to better NCD prevention and control. Theseareas include: (i) increasing financial resources for NCDprevention and control, (ii) increasing access to NCD drugs,especially for the poor, (iii) addressing socialdeterminants, (iv) focusing on specific NCDs, (v) addressingunder nutrition and over nutrition, (vi) creating anintensified national NCD program, strengthening andreorganizing NCD prevention and curative care services,(vii) moving services closer to clients and improvingefficiency, (viii) further decentralizing and devolvinghealth service delivery, (ix) human resource development forNCD prevention and control, (x) creating a national NCDsurveillance system, and (xi) developing public-privatepartnerships and aligning service delivery.
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