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Case Report: From concept to care and knowledge translation: developing a community-oriented family health center in a resource-limited post-conflict setting in Sri Lanka

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Primary Health Care (PHC) oriented systems in resource-limited, post-conflict settings face compounded challenges arising from population ageing, rising non-communicable diseases, workforce constraints, and weakened community trust. In Sri Lanka's Northern Province, decades of conflict followed by economic instability and the COVID-19 pandemic further exposed limitations of fragmented, facility-centered Primary Care. This paper presents a concept-driven community case study describing the progressive development of a community-oriented Family Health Center (FHC) in Northern Sri Lanka, tracing its evolution from a small FHC to a nationally recognized and internationally connected Primary Care, education and research hub. The model integrates Family Medicine, Community-Oriented Primary Care (COPC) and Participatory Action Research (PAR) within a single operational framework. Family Medicine provides the clinical and ethical foundation, COPC introduces defined population responsibility with embedded Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) and Community Engagement and Involvement (CEI), while PAR functions as a system-learning engine enabling continuous adaptation and co-creation of knowledge. Locally recruited Community Health Workers (CHWs) operate these principles by linking households, services and research. The FHC delivers comprehensive Primary Care services and supports multilevel education, continuous professional development and capacity building, while functioning as a platform for global collaboration, including a 10,000-participant community cohort supported through digital health systems and international partnerships such as the NIHR DIGIPATHS program. This experience demonstrates how locally grounded PHC-oriented system components can be integrated into health systems and support the transformation in post-conflict settings can evolve into sustainable centers of excellence and trusted global implementation hubs, offering transferable lessons for strengthening PHC-oriented system in comparable contexts.

Source: Frontiers in Medicine

DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2026.1895556

Authors: Antony Sheron Vethanayagam, Kumaran Subaschandren, Kaarunnya Parthipan, Sakana Kannathasan, Saman Pathirana

Institution: University of Jaffna

Language: English

Topic: Primary Care and Health Outcomes

Subfield: Family Practice

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Partnerships for the goals

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,801