Dr. Shane Halpe - Jaffna Monitor

Bringing Stroke Care Home: A Quiet Revolution in Post-Conflict Jaffna

When I began my Family Medicine training in 2022 as a Registrar, I moved between clinics, hospital wards, community camps, and even patients’ homes. These journeys gave me a front-row seat to the deep inequalities within Sri Lanka’s healthcare system—nowhere more visible than in stroke care. In the government sector, stroke treatment is still woefully inadequate. Time is critical in managing stroke, yet delays in diagnosis and intervention are far too common. I’ve watched stroke survivors—many

Medical Special Article

Dr. Shane Halpe

Jul 14, 2025 — 5 min read

Healing in Jaffna: What the North Taught a Southern Doctor About Empathy

Kondavil: A Masterclass in Compassionate Care When I first stepped into the Family Health Center (FHC) in Kondavil, Jaffna, I had no idea that this quiet, unassuming facility in Sri Lanka’s Northern Province would become one of the most formative classrooms of my career. It quickly revealed itself as a living model of what a family health center should be across the island. As a family physician from Wattala, I arrived with curiosity, humility, and not a word of Tamil. But what I lacked in lan

Dr. Shane Halpe

Jun 15, 2025 — 8 min read