Abstract:
Background: In special circumstances, establishing public private partnerships for malaria elimination may achieve
targets faster than the state sector acting by itself. Following the end of the separatist war in Sri Lanka in 2009, the
Anti Malaria Campaign (AMC) of Sri Lanka intensified malaria surveillance jointly with a private sector partner,
Tropical and Environmental Diseases and Health Associates Private Limited (TEDHA) with a view to achieving
malaria elimination targets by 2014.
Methods: This is a case study on how public private partnerships can be effectively utilized to achieve malaria
elimination goals. TEDHA established 50 Malaria Diagnostic Laboratories and 17 entomology surveillance sentinel
sites in consultation with the AMC in areas difficult to access by government officials (five districts in two
provinces affected by war).
Results: TEDHA screened 994,448 individuals for malaria, of which 243,867 were screened at mobile malaria clinics as
compared to 1,102,054 screened by the AMC. Nine malaria positives were diagnosed by TEDHA, while the AMC
diagnosed 103 malaria cases in the same districts in parallel. Over 13,000 entomological activity days were completed.
Relevant information was shared with AMC and the data recorded in the health information system.
Conclusions: A successful public-private partnership model for malaria elimination was initiated at a time when the
health system was in disarray in war ravaged areas of Sri Lanka. This ensured a high annual blood examination rate and
screening of vulnerable people in receptive areas. These were important for certification of malaria-free status which Sri
Lanka eventually received in 2016.
