Colombo, April 11 (newsin.asia) – Sri Lanka’s health service is one of the best not only in Asia but in the world, World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, quoted in a local media report said here Wednesday.

Dr Tedros who visited the island country recently to celebrate World Health Day which fell on April 7, said the reason Sri Lanka had such a high quality health service was because of its free availability and the country’s political leadership gave a clear guidance to the health service.

Sri Lanka which was earlier ranked as a low income country had now emerged as a middle income nation and under this situation, the island’s heath sector was ‘excellent’, Dr. Tedros explained.

This is a good example even for high income countries,” the WHO Official said.

WHO Regional Director for South East Asia, Dr. Poonam Khetrapal Singh said it was admirable that Sri Lanka had reduced the prices of drugs and the government had taken measures to control the use of tobacco.

The WHO has planned to achieve sustainable development goals by 2030 but Sri Lanka has already achieved some of them. The steps taken by the Sri Lankan government to control Non Communicable Diseases provide a good example for other countries,” Dr. Singh said.

A majority of Sri Lanka’s 22 million population rely on the state’s free health service. State Hospitals are set up in districts across the island.

In 2016, the WHO certified Sri Lanka as a malaria free nation after the island launched a nation wide campaign.