Colombo, Jan 25 (IANS): Sri Lanka has received a $200 million loan from the World Bank (WB) to help increase the use and quality of the island nation's primary healthcare services, an official statement said here on Friday.

The Primary Healthcare System Strengthening Project will benefit the Sri Lankan people by increasing the quality of primary healthcare services and focusing on the detection and management of non-communicable diseases, responding to the changing health needs of the population and targeting the most vulnerable, reports Xinhua news agency.

"People are at the centre of this project, which aims to bring better healthcare services, particularly to the poor and the vulnerable," said Idah Pswarayi-Riddihough, World Bank Country Director for Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

"It is designed to detect symptoms and provide remedial measures, including the promotion of healthy lifestyles to better manage the burden of non-communicable diseases at the community and primary healthcare levels."

According to the World Bank, Sri Lanka's health system has demonstrated remarkable performance in achieving universal coverage with maternal and child healthcare services and effective control of infectious diseases.

The Ministry of Health will implement the project while the World Bank will provide technical and financial support to implement the primary healthcare system reorganisation.