Right to Health of Internally Displaced Persons - IDP SriLanka

elaborated in the “Guidelines for management of public health
effects in the community following Tsunami disaster”. These
aspects are of very much importance during and post disaster
periods and this type of guideline or circular should address
those factors too. In implementing, firstly, these types of
guidelines should guide all the districts where there are
considerable numbers of IDPs. Secondly, the issuing authority
of these guidelines is the Chief Epidemiologist and it is
suggested that if it is issued in a manner of a “circular” by the
Director General of Health Service, it would be more
enforceable.
In addition, if a hand book could be prepared with all necessary
factors to be considered in assuring the health of the people in
disasters it would benefit the displaced people and the
humanitarian aid workers in discharging their activities. Such
hand book should consider the standards mentioned in
“minimum standards of Sphere Principles”, and etc. It will
definitely make the monitoring process much easy. The
participation of other departments within the Ministry of Health
in drafting the hand book is necessary since each department is
responsible for different activities.
a) The health information system following a disaster should be
more strengthened and alternatives ways should be used to
contact the people in the cases of daily visits are not possible.
b) Auniform guideline is recommended to cover all types of health
hazards in all types of displacements since the different type of
displacements have been addressed differently by the health
authorities. However, if the Tsunami circulars equally
applicable to conflict affected IDPs, it should be clearly
demonstrated by another official document and it should be
distributed among all affected MOH areas and to the all level of
community health workers in their languages.
c) The activities and services of the “Disaster Preparedness and
Responses Unit” of the Ministry should publish among the
displaced community and other stakeholders so as to make easy
access to those services.
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