Public Health Inspector (PHI)
Learning outcomes
At the end of the visit, the student will be expected to:
- Describe the role of the PHI in the control of communicable diseases, investigation of notifiable diseases, school health, food safety, housing, environmental sanitation and safe water
- Describe the process of inspecting a food outlet and follow up action
- Demonstrate an understanding of laws related to habitable housing
- Describe methods of ensuring safe water
- Describe methods of garbage disposal, and environmental sanitation
- Describe the registers and records maintained by PHIs and returns submitted
- Discuss the usefulness of the data gathered and generated by PHIs in relation to their scope of work.
Content areas
- Duties of PHIs
- Organisation of PHI activities
- Notifiable diseases, process of investigation of a notification and activities for control of communicable diseases
- Food Act and activities on ensuring food safety including survey of food handling institutions, formal and informal sampling and legal action
- Ensuring safe water, chlorination of wells and testing water samples
- Basic sanitation facilities available in the area and activities for improving environmental sanitation
- Examining housing plans and sites for recommendations on habitable housing
- School health inspections and activities
- Provision of services for mass population gatherings
- Registers and records maintained and returns submitted
Learning activity: Observation of the office of the PHI, activities for ensuring safe water supply and inspection of a food handling institution
RECOMMENDED READING MATERIAL
- Herath H.M.S.S.D 1989, A manual for the Sri Lanka Public Health Inspector, Ministry of Health, Colombo.
- Duty list of PHI, circu dated