Challenges Impede Development of Myanmar’s Public Health
Challenges Impede Development of Myanmar’s Public Health
The Irrawaddy, 15 Nov 2017
URL: https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/meetings-northern-groups-make-no-progress-peace-talks.html
YANGON — Myanmar’s de facto leader and State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has repeatedly singled out the minister for health and sports as one of the few Cabinet members whose performance she has been consistently satisfied with since taking office nearly two years ago. Despite this praise, however, after decades of institutional neglect of public services by the military junta, the public health sector still regularly faces criticism for being understaffed and providing substandard care.
“The health status of the Myanmar population is poor and compares unfavorably with other countries in the region,” the Health and Sports Ministry acknowledged in its recently launched 2017-2021 National Health Plan.
Human resources constitute a critical input into the health system if it is to ensure access to quality care. For that reason, the plan cites a lack of human resources, skill imbalances, inequitable distribution of services, and difficulties in rural retention of medical personnel as being among the ministry’s main challenges.
Myanmar’s key health care performance indicators — maternal mortality ratio (MMR) and life expectancy at birth — are among the worst in Southeast Asia, according to World Health Organization (WHO) data.
The MMR is the annual number of female deaths per 100,000 live births from any cause related to or aggravated by pregnancy or its management (excluding accidental or incidental causes). It includes deaths during pregnancy, during childbirth, and within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, irrespective of the duration and site of the pregnancy. The column chart below shows the MMR ratios (2015) of ASEAN countries, with Myanmar’s being the second highest in the region.
“The health status of the Myanmar population is poor and compares unfavorably with other countries in the region,” the Health and Sports Ministry acknowledged in its recently launched 2017-2021 National Health Plan.
Human resources constitute a critical input into the health system if it is to ensure access to quality care. For that reason, the plan cites a lack of human resources, skill imbalances, inequitable distribution of services, and difficulties in rural retention of medical personnel as being among the ministry’s main challenges.
Myanmar’s key health care performance indicators — maternal mortality ratio (MMR) and life expectancy at birth — are among the worst in Southeast Asia, according to World Health Organization (WHO) data.
The MMR is the annual number of female deaths per 100,000 live births from any cause related to or aggravated by pregnancy or its management (excluding accidental or incidental causes). It includes deaths during pregnancy, during childbirth, and within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, irrespective of the duration and site of the pregnancy. The column chart below shows the MMR ratios (2015) of ASEAN countries, with Myanmar’s being the second highest in the region.