The Health Education Bureau of the Ministry of Healthcare and Nutrition is the national level organisation promoting the health of the individual, family and the community in Sri Lanka.

   The key role of Health Education Bureau (HEB) is building the capacities of personnel engaged in health development of people, both in the government and the non-government sectors. This is achieved through the mobilisation of resources of the health and health related sectors and the community for

  Policy development and Advocacy in Health Promotion.
  Communication promoting health seeking behaviours
  Social marketing
  Community mobilisation
  Collaboration of the related sectors
  Behavioural research
  Publicity and mass media communication
  Publication of communication materials on health

Objective

To be the centre of excellence in promoting health of the people through capacity building of health and health related sectors on advocacy, behaviour change communication, social marketing and community mobilisation.

Specific Objectives

1. To provide technical advice on policy formulation, planning and programming on promotion of health through advocacy,     behaviour change communication, social marketing, and counselling and community mobilisation.

2. To support various health programmes conducted by the Department of Health Services and other health related sectors     through advocacy, behaviour change communication, counselling and social mobilization for health actions.

3. To promote, support and undertake planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluation of health promotion programmes in     different settings.

4. To promote health literacy and consciousness among the general public through mass media and through the health exhibitions.

5. To promote social marketing on prevailing health issues.

6. To assist in the production of communication materials and develop communication materials required for health promotion and     behaviour change communication.

7. To develop the capacities of personnel, both within and outside the Department of Health Services as health promoters and     change agents through advocacy, behaviour change communication and social mobilization.

8. To mobilise the community by empowering them on health issues, to enable them a greater control over their health and to     promote the health of others.

9. To collaborate with governmental, non-governmental and international agencies in promoting the health of the people.

10. To develop managerial capacities of health and health related sectors to manage health promotive programmes.

11. To monitor and evaluate health promotive programmes and facilitate monitoring and evaluation of the health promotive      programmes at different levels.

12. To support and undertake research on behaviour change of the community and social mobilisation.