A brief history of the development of the public health services in Sri Lanka

Abstract

It is reasonable to assume that the people of ancient Sri Lanka, who had reached a high degree of civilisation, had adopted sound, effective measures to safeguard their health. This assumption is confirmed by numerous references in the chronicles and ancient inscriptions as well as from evidence of archaeological remains. The Mahavamsa, the Pali chronicle of Sri Lanka, refers to the sanitary measures taken by the Sinhala kings to safeguard the health of the people. As early as the 4th century BC, in the reign of King Pandukabhaya, it records that the king appointed 500 chandalas (persons of low caste) to work in cleaning the streets and 200 chandalas for clearing the sewers. Sanitation and matters related to public safety were entrusted to an officer called the Nagaraguttika: this appointment was held by the no less a person than the king's uncle during his reign. Amidst the ruins of monastic buildings-particularly in the western monasteries of Anuradhapura-are to be seen the remains of privies, urinals, and baths. Paranavitarane draws attention to the elaborate design of two such structures: one a squatting type latrine at the Abhayagiriya; and the other, a seat type toilet in the Western Porch at Polonnaruwa. 2 These and other findings indicate that the ancient Sinhalese were not unaware of the importance of good sanitary practices. Occupation of the Island by the Portugese, Dutch and the British Whilst providing an insight into the traditional health practices of the people, these · findings have little bearing on the development of the existing public health services in Sri Lanka, which are based on the allopathic system of medicine introduced into the island by the successive occupation of it by the Portuguese (1505), the Dutch (1656) and the British (1796).