OOP(s)! – Struggling for Equity in Sri Lanka’s Health Sector amidst Rising Out of Pocket Expenditure

Despite impressive achievements in healthcare in Sri Lanka over the last decades, the emerging trend of rising out of pocket expenditure by individuals needs attention. OOP expenditure on health hits particularly hard on the poor, whose ailments will either remain untreated or end up forcing them and their families into deeper poverty. To mitigate the economic and health impact on household, the most pressing need is to maintain an uninterrupted flow of life-saving essential drugs in government health facilities.