The district distribution of selected health workers is presented in Figure 7.17. It is evident that the number of pharmacists and MLTs per 100 000 population is minimal and does not show any significant difference between districts. The number of PHMs mostly remains the same without much fluctuation while the highest district differentials are shown by the numbers of MOs and nursing officers, both categories being higher in districts where superspecialized, specialized and teaching facilities are located, such as in the districts of Colombo, Kandy, Galle and where two health districts are represented within the same administrative district of Ampara. Figure 7.17 District distribution of selected health worker categories per 100 000 population, 2016 300 250 200 150 100 50 0 Colombo Kandy Ampara Galle Sri Lanka Vavunia Polonnaruwa Mannar Badulla Hambantota Matara Anuradhapura Jaffna Batticaloa Matale Kurunegala Kegalle Trincomalee Monaragala Kalutara Mullativu Rathnapura Killinochchi Gampaha Puttlam Nuwara-Eliya
Per 100 000 population
350
Medical officers
Nursing officers
Public health midwives
Pharmacists
Medical laboratory technologists
Source: Ministry of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine, 2018g
7.4 Health outcomes, health service outcomes and quality of care When considering the return on investment for the health sector, Sri Lanka has achieved good health outcomes in many fields, including MCH, attendance at birth by skilled health-care personnel and control of VPDs at a comparably low cost. The population coverage of many vaccines of the national Expanded Programme on Immunization is between 96.2% and 99.2% (Department of Census and Statistics, 2018a). The country managed to achieve most of the Millennium Development Goals and has already achieved some of the targets identified in SDGs such as the maternal, under-five and neonatal mortality rates that are due to be achieved
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