Community Lead Cancer Prevention Program Northern Province of Sri Lanka

Cancer prevention implementation study was initiated with the previously existing experiences in health promotion, health education and screening.

As the first step, the feasibility study was done to identify a suitable way for implementing a community-based, comprehensive approach to early detection of the most common cancers in Northern Province, Sri Lanka, including breast, oral, cervical, and colorectal cancers.

The University of Jaffna’s Faculty of Medicine launched the scheme, with the Department of Surgery serving as the technical lead. The Centre for Digital Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, provided the implementation support.

An implementation study was done using a particular methodology and the appropriateness, acceptability, and feasibility of the developed methodology were assessed.

Appropriate guidelines were designed for the detection of early cancer such as oral, breast, colorectal, and cervical cancer and the screening was performed to identify the cancer at its early stages.

The program includes three major components: service delivery, capacity building, and research. 

Cancer prevention service delivery was delivered at the community centres and Family Health centre in parallel with the routine clinical checkups, subfertility and women’s health program, geriatric care and exercise.

Capacity-building programs are carried out among community members, healthcare providers, and medical students.

Strategies like community engagement, behavioural changing communication, motivation, and interviews were incorporated into this program. Also, a continuous, comprehensive, and patient-centred approach was executed. Parallelly, the Early Cancer Detection Centre was established in Teaching Hospital, Jaffna

Project was carried out in the community centres under the Nallur MOH, Poonakary MOH and Family health centre ,Kondavil.

We conduct screening programmes in Nallur MOH  two days per week and Poonakary MOH once a week.

The community health care worker identified the community belonging to the MOH, and following that the Grama Niladhari or the president of the community centre was conducted to find out a suitable date. The participants were informed through Grama Niladhari or the president of the community centre. The place for the cancer prevention program was allocated by the program coordinator.

The team includes Medical doctors, screener, data collectors and Community health workers.

Objective

Holistic Approach to Preventing common cancers in Northern province of Sri Lanka (Breast, Oral, Cervical, and Colorectal)

Geographic scope: Jaffna District, and Kilinochchi District, Northern Province, Sri Lanka