3. Curative Health Services:
3.1. Interoduction:
Curative care services are provided to the people in Central Province through a network of institutions. These include 3 tertiary care institutions, 8 secondary care institutions 149 primary care institutions and 13 specialized units. Four out of eight secondary care institutions, all primary care institutions and all specialized institutions of this network of healthcare institutions are come under the management of the Department of Health Services, Central Province.
Table 3.1.1. Summary of curative health care institutions
(including institutions under line ministry):
| PMCU | DH | BH | GH | TH | NH | SpU | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kandy | 28 | 47 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 89 |
| Matale | 14 | 18 | 1 | 1 | - | - | 3 | 37 |
| Nuwara Eliya | 22 | 24 | 2 | 1 | - | - | 2 | 51 |
| Central Province | 64 | 89 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 177 |
Table 3.1.2. Summary of curative health care institutions
(including institutions under line ministry):
| Primary Care (PMCU+DH) | Secondry Care (BH+GH) | Tertiary Care (TH+NH) | Special Units (Curative) | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kandy | 75 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 89 |
| Matale | 32 | 2 | - | 3 | 37 |
| Nuwara Eliya | 46 | 3 | - | 2 | 51 |
| Central Province | 153 | 8 | 3 | 13 | 177 |
Being a relatively large province with remarkable climatic and geographic diversity, the Central Province has a divergent population subjected to a wide spectrum of ailments requiring dynamism in the provision of healthcare services. High population density in the region has intensified this challenge with overcrowded health institutions badly demanding for improved infrastructure and efficient planning. Adding to this is the popular patient behavior pattern of bypassing the sequential process in which health care ought to be sought. This has inevitably led to a further congestion of the tertiary and secondary health care units while causing underutilization of resources at primary care level.
In year 2025, xxxxxxxxxxxx people have attended for the OPD care while xxxxxx people were seeking in-ward care from secondary and tertiary care hospitals. In contrast, there were xxxxxxxxx people having OPD care and xxxxxx people having inpatient care from the 149 primary care institutes in the province.
As to fulfill the current healthcare needs, the provincial health department is utilizing the primary care institutions and primary medical care units to screening for and other controlling and prevention activities of non-communicable diseases. Elderly care services are also being delivered through some institutions. Remarkable steps on improving elderly care services including clinics and inward facilities have been put forward at Divisional Hospital Kadugannawa as the first Elderly Care unit established in Sri Lanka.
Secondary care institutions provide services mainly through the four common specialties including Medicine, Surgery, Pediatrics, Obstetrics & Gynecology and other specialties such as Orthopedic, Eye, ENT and Dermatology. Essential supportive services including laboratory services and basic radiological services are also available at these institutions. The laboratory services consist of basic biochemical, hematological, bacterial and histopathological investigations.