An assessment of the inclusive early childhood development program (IncluDe) in Kandy district, Sri Lanka a case study

Abstract

Sri Lanka has identified the importance of providing quality and effective health care to all women, children, and families. In 1968, the Ministry of Health established the Family Health Bureau (FHB) to conduct the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) program nationally. The FHB's Inclusive Early Childhood Development Program (IncluDe), which will be phased across all districts, aims to systematically screen all Sri Lankan children to detect developmental delays and disabilities as early as possible and intervene through a multidisciplinary team approach to improve their quality of life. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the IncluDe program in the Kandy district and to prioritize the issues that need to be addressed to establish a comprehensive, sustainable program to serve the district's children with disabilities. Data collection was done by Key Informant Interviews, Focus Group Discussions, Team discussions, Observation visits to study settings, and review of secondary data. Numerous issues were identified across the program's service settings (Screening program of the children, Services of Child Development Intervention Center (CDIC), and specialized referrals at Tertiary Care Hospitals). Improving the comprehensiveness of care given at CDIC at rehabilitation hospital Digana, addressing the training needs of health staff, fulfilling the human resource requirement, and establishing a monitoring and evaluation mechanism of the program were among the priority problems. After conducting an in-depth analysis, recommendations were made to enhance the comprehensiveness of care provided at CDIC. The study reveals the importance of parallel development of all facets of the IncluDe program to provide adequate care to children with developmental delays and disabilities in the Kandy district. In conclusion, the Inclusive Early Childhood Development Program in Kandy District, Sri Lanka needs urgent attention in implementing measures to achieve its objectives successfully.