Primary healthcare in hard-to-reach areas boosted with more than 70 new centres

Primary healthcare in hard-to-reach areas boosted with more than 70 new centres

18 May, 2017
Hpruso, 18th May 2017 – In Kayah State, 3MDG handed over six new health centres to the Ministry of Health and Sports, bringing the total number of health centres completed to 74.
The ribbon is cut at the opening of a centre in Hpruso Township, Kayah State

This is part of a USD 12 million project to build 82 new rural and sub-rural health centres across the country to serve community health needs. This project supports the government to improve access to health services in hard-to-reach areas of Myanmar.  

The 74 centres in Ayeyarwaddy, Magway, Mandalay, Sagaing and Yangon regions and Shan (East), Shan (South) and Kayah states have been successfully handed over to the Ministry and are now operational. The remaining eight centres in Chin and Shan (North) State will be completed and handed over in early 2018.

Altogether, the centres will improve access to health services for about 440,000 people in some of the most remote locations in the country.

The centres are financed by 3MDG’s donors - Australia, Denmark, the European Union, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States of America - and designed and implemented by UNOPS.

Myanmar has committed to reaching universal health coverage by 2030. This ensures everyone can access the healthcare they need without the cost causing financial hardship. Rural health centres bring care to some of the most rural and remote communities in the country. Locations for the centres were chosen by the Ministry of Health and Sports, together with community members and 3MDG, based on demographics, need and accessibility.

The handover event for the six centres handed over in Kayah State was held in Maternal and Child Health Centre, Hpruso Hospital, Hpruso Township. It attended by Ministry officials, representatives from 3MDG and UNOPS, health staff, local leaders and community members.

At the event, Daw Linn Dah, Health Assistant said:

Before the health centre, I had to take care of children and pregnant women in a cramped building with no equipment. Now, I can provide care more effectively. Referral for expectant mothers is easy because we are so close to the township hospital.

The centres will serve all community health needs, with a particular focus on maternal, newborn and child health. They will aid in reducing the dangers of childbirth. The number of deaths among women and babies in delivery is currently higher in rural areas than in urban settings.

The centres include areas for childbirth, emergency and waiting rooms, examination rooms, water tanks, incinerator and placenta pit, onsite accommodation for staff, and drug storage facilities. Many sites have environmentally sustainable solar panels, making sure power is available in emergency situations. Depending on their size, the centres can treat up to 50 patients a day.

As Myanmar lies in a region prone to earthquakes and floods, specific construction techniques and raised flooring have been used to make the new centres more resilient in the face of disasters.