In 2015, Dr. Su Mon Myat, Assistant Director of School and Adolescent Health Division, Department of Public Health was offered a scholarship to attend the Royal Tropical Institute in Amsterdam, Netherlands, in order to gain her master’s degree in public health. This was one of six scholarships supported last year by 3MDG, which help to build the confidence and capacity of Ministry of Health and Sports staff, who are able to return to their jobs with new knowledge and skills.
On graduation, Dr. Su Mon Myat was excited to return to Myanmar and contribute to developing the Ministry of Health’s five-year strategic plan 2016-20 for adolescent health. Other graduates from the course have been involved in co-ordinating training on community engagement for township planning.
“I really like that the course links policy to practice,” Dr. Su Mon Myat said. “What I have learned is really effective for me, and investing in capacity building of health personnel is one of the best ways to strengthen the health system. We are really grateful to 3MDG offering scholarships to us,” she added.
The year-long Masters course was one of many 3MDG initiatives to support the technical capacity of the Ministry in 2015, which also included short courses and on-the-job trainings. The scholarship also covered accommodation, insurance and monthly allowance to the participants while studying the international course in health development.
