Abstract:
Sri Lanka is representative of challenges faced by low-income and middle-income countries, including the rise in the
prevalence of autism and the lack of sufficient autism-specific services in the state sectors. The experience in
establishing a Center to provide services for children with autism in Northern Sri Lanka is described. Funding and
resourcing were accessed through an innovative partnership-based public/non-governmental organisation/charity
model, where service-based outcomes were the main objectives. This model, incorporating state institutions, local
and international charity organisations, and volunteers, devised a bespoke approach to care provision using the
available resources under the clinical supervision of a consultant psychiatrist and the administrative purview of the
Regional Director of Health Services. The evolution of this Center into a Learning Health System is described,
reflecting how a minimalistic partnership approach focused on the integration of existing organisations and services
could be a feasible model for the delivery of high-quality healthcare in low-resource settings.
