Chiropractic Care in Sri Lanka on the Rise Despite Challenging Political Climate

Fuel shortages, exceedingly high inflation, devalued currency, and even civil unrest hasn’t been enough to stop patients from visiting Janet Ruth Sosna, D.C. (Main, ’84) and Gabriella Glassford, D.C. (Florida, ’21) in Sri Lanka. Dr. Gabriella reports days-long lines at gas stations and rationed weekly gas quotas yet still, her work days are booked solid from Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. 

As the primary caregiver for the practice that Dr. Janet started in 2014 and the only true doctor of chiropractic in the country right now, Dr. Gabriella is feeling the immense need for chiropractic care in Sri Lanka. She sees 20-25 patients per day, every day. If not for her additional staff, she might not have nourishment to sustain herself through the long days. “They typically bring rice and curries from home. They not only take care of me but they take care of the office, too,” she said. 

For Dr. Gabriella, much more goes into each visit than the typical chiropractic appointment. “My patients are not receiving the proper education and attention and, therefore, come here with many questions regarding their health. They appreciate the time and education we give here in the clinic,” she reported. 

She also provides meal and exercise plans for those in need. “We have everything from back pain to neurological diseases and now the added stress from civil unrest which only makes health matters worse. I’ve started studying local foods so that my patients can get the healing benefits from what’s native to this area,” she said. 

Dr. Janet is from Nyack, New York but lived in Singapore for 37 years. When she founded the practice, she was able to travel to Sri Lanka quite easily and often. Now, the costs aren’t conducive for frequent travel. 

It was only ten years ago when she and her husband vacationed in Sri Lanka and absolutely loved it. It was quickly designated as their chosen retirement spot but there were no chiropractors there at the time.

“I couldn’t live anywhere that didn’t have chiropractic care so I started the process of opening my chiropractic business in Sri Lanka,” she recalls. “I found a partner and we pitched our clinic project to Sri Lanka’s Board of Investment (BOI). Our pitch was accepted which meant we did not require a local partner. Typically, having a local partner meant a sole focus on ROI and being financially driven rather than inspired by the greatest good of the patients. Because we had the required cash investment, BOI advocated for us in our required interview with the SL Ministry of Health (MOH) and, as they had no objection, and we were able to proceed with opening our foreign-owned clinic,” she said. Their practice became the only full-time chiropractic clinic in Sri Lanka with one other part-time chiropractor in the country two to three weeks out of each quarter. 

Although their clinic has survived many hardships, they’re struggling to find more staff and another chiropractor. Dr. Gabriella, originally from Miami with a Brazilian background, found Dr. Janet thanks to her desire to work abroad. “I met my boyfriend while attending Palmer Florida. He’s from Sri Lanka so I started researching both his country and Singapore. Dr. Janet is listed as the contact for the World Federation of Chiropractic (WFC) so I contacted her and she hired me. We met in person three days after I started!” said Dr. Gabriella. 

Even with the gas shortage, patients are sometimes driving an hour each way in traffic to spend 20 minutes with Dr. Gabriella. “It’s a chiropractic lifestyle practice. We provide myofascial therapy, holistic health care, rehab recommendations and more in addition to giving adjustments. We teach patients that if they don’t change their habits, they’ll remain subluxated no matter how many adjustments we give,” said Dr. Janet. Their focus is helping people regain their health through chiropractic care without medicine and surgery. 

As for the May 2022 protests, they were isolated to one particular area of the city on the other side of town from the practice. “We weren’t directly impacted thanks to the physical distance and we managed to stay busy throughout that difficult time,” Dr. Janet said. Dr. Gabriella never felt scared but certainly wasn’t expecting lockdowns only a month after she’d moved to Sri Lanka, “I knew things would be a little tough when I arrived but I didn’t expect it to turn like it did less than 30 days after I got here. We were unable to leave our houses for days at a time, had curfews at other times and were even banned from social media. The worst of it went on for about a month where we didn’t know what the next day would bring but I never felt unsafe,” she said.

Aside from practicing independently and not being able to refer patients to other chiropractors (for specialty care) or practitioners, Dr. Gabriella is challenged with not being able to care for everyone, “Not even 50% of the Sri Lankan population can afford chiropractic care. There are a lot of people in poverty and they are some of the hardest-working citizens who really need the care. The fortunate ones are brought in by their employers who pay for their treatment so they can continue working on the estate.” Dr. Gabriella finds it very rewarding to care for all patients but especially those in need.

Another aspect she loves about practicing in Sri Lanka is working with different cultures and religions. “Since Sri Lanka is a majority Buddhist country, the office sees Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims, as well as Christians. Working with unfamiliar cultures has been an eye-opening experience, as well as, extremely rewarding to help and learn from different people,” she said. “Since chiropractic care is a new concept, I love it when a patient’s eyes light up because I’ve taught them something they’ve never heard of. They are always so grateful!”

To all students considering working abroad, Dr. Gabriella encourages you to do it!

“We only know what we know and tend to stay where we feel safe but it’s important to grow as people and professionals by getting outside of our comfort zones. Plus, we have it easier than other professions because so many countries are willing to take us. These cultures have more to teach you than you’ll ever know!”