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Myanmar Public Healthcare System
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Overview Under the Myanmar Government, hospitals can be divided into 3 different sectors. |
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Ministry of Health Majority of hospitals in the country are run by the Ministry of Health. Although a total of 680 hospitals are under their supervision, size of these hospitals range from 16 to 600 bedded. Approximately 500 of these hospitals are 16 bedded. Healthcare is accessible by all Myanmar citizens under a cost sharing scheme where consultation and hospital accommodations are free of charge; but drugs, x-rays and various other cost incurring procedures will be paid for by the patient. In the event the patient has absolutely no financial capability, he or she may apply for a letter from their living quarter (Sector) where all their medical fees will be paid for by the government. However such letters are extremely difficult to obtain as one has to be in extreme poverty (e.g. has a family of 10 children where all are unemployed and has a reputation of being poor) before letters are issued. Hence some are left without affordable medical care. |
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Military Hospitals Around a hundred military hospitals exist to serve the needs of army personnel as well as their families free of charge. These hospitals range from 16 to 200 bedded. |
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Labor Hospitals There are 2 labor hospitals, 1 in Yangon and 1 in Mandalay. Individuals with stable jobs in the public or private sector can become a member of the Social Security Board where the individual pays a monthly fee ranging from $ 1-8 USD depending upon their income. When medical attention is needed, the Social Security Board will cover all medical expenses. However the hospitals only see about 100-200 out patients a day and those seeking medical attention often have to wait their turn. Moreover, Labor Hospitals can only be accessed by those close to Yangon or Mandalay. As majority of the country’s population live in the countryside, most do not have access to these hospitals. |
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Funding Majority of these hospitals are financial constrained. Starting 1998, a 5 year plan was undertaken with the objective of updating hospitals under the Ministry of Health which received an annual budget of approximately $ 4 million USD for the entire country for each of the 5 years. Although some headway was made, funding was spread very thin. Since then funding has been irregular, receiving minimal funding at times while a few million during other years. Labor Hospitals have also been receiving irregular funding. Military hospitals are probably the best and most regularly funded. But even then, funding cannot be described as plentiful. |
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Situation Majority of hospitals lack sufficient diagnostic tools and crucial medical equipment such as ultrasound machines, ECG machines (Electrocardiogram) and oxygen concentrator just to name a few. Even in the largest hospitals in Yangon, oxygen concentrators are at best only available to half of those who need it. Oxygen is crucial for patients in ICU and those with respiratory diseases. C sections which are normally conducted with 6 clamps to stop bleeding at incision points are only conducted with 2 clamps in Myanmar. Doctors instead are trained to quickly sew wounds shut. In the cancer ward of Yangon’s only children hospital, cancer patients have to share a few infusers and wait their turn for medical treatment. The above hospital scenarios are common within the hospitals of Yangon. Hospitals outside of Yangon face even greater need. |
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Doctors Doctors are well trained in Myanmar as each year over a million students go through a rigorous selection process where only 100,000 proceed on to medical school where they follow the British medical curriculum; and out of those, only 1000 will graduate to become certified doctors. However half of the graduates usually end up overseas, a quarter in the private medical sector and the remaining 25% will serve in the public sector. Prior to 1992, public sector doctors were paid $ 7 USD/month, since then it has been raised to $ 80 USD/month. Most doctors supplement income by practicing outside of public hospitals during after hours. Despite the given conditions, doctors do the best they can, but are constrained by the lack of sufficient medical equipment. |
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Medical Equipment Item Usage Estimated Cost in USD Ultrasound – Hitachi EUB 405 Plus Obstetrics & Urology measurement $ 10,000 Patient Monitor – GIMA Heart rate, ECG, Blood pressure etc $ 4,300 Oxygen Concentrator – Newlife 8L 8L/min Oxygen Flow for 2 Patients $ 1,800 Foetal Droppler – GIMA D2003 Detecting Foetal Heart Rate $ 900 |
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Many hospitals either do not have any or sufficient basic medical equipment to offer quality healthcare to patients. i Love Myanmar is looking into donating such medical equipment to raise the level of healthcare the people of Myanmar receive. |
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In Loving Memory of Baby Emmanuel
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