Myanmar Maternal and Child Health Improvement

Midwife takes care of a baby born at home

(period:2017.10 ~ project site: Tatkon Township)
In Myanmar, since the governmental administration was transferred to the civilian government in 2011, international support and investment by private enterprises to the country have increased significantly. However, the maternal and child health conditions have not been improved in rural areas.

PHJ is implementing the maternal and child health care service improvement at a typical rural area of 27 villages under the Myauk Myeik Health Center.
In these villages, a sub-center to provide a primary health care service is often quite old or not available for the child delivery. Further, the lack of qualified midwives and the low skill of the midwives do not ensure the expectant mothers to receive adequate health care services. In addition, the women in villages have little access to the maternal and child health knowledge and follow customs of delivery at home.
PHJ is aiming at building a mutual aid system for the expectant mothers and mothers having children to receive required health care services, despite the lack of the health staff and medical equipment. Practically speaking, PHJ is supporting them to receive appropriate health care including extension of applicable care to mothers and children throughout the cycle of adolescent, ante-partum, during pregnancy, child birth, post-partum, infant, nursing, and family planning.
This project is put into practice by the support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Japan NGO cooperation grant aid, and other supporter companies, groups, and individuals.

Project Report

Project Details

  • Establishing safe child birth environment
    To enhance medical facilities to ensure sustained medical and health care services: including remodeling and construction of health centers and clinics in the project site; and donation of necessary medical equipment. Explaining the mothers on the merits and demerits of delivery at health center and the delivery at home, so that the expectant mothers will select the delivery at medical facilities.
  • Enhancement of midwives‘ skills
    PHJ organizes the midwives training covering knowledge and skill enhancement so that they will provide appropriate maternal and child health care services. Also PHJ organizes a periodical meeting of midwives and auxiliary midwives who are the primary health staff toward villagers.
  • Health education to villagers
    Midwives and public health supervisors provide maternal and child health education toward pregnant women and mothers with infants.
  • Training of health volunteers and partnering
    PHJ encourages women to serve as maternal and child health promoters at respective villages and provides training to them. These MCH promoters inform midwives about pregnant women, visit homes of newborns, and inform any emergencies.
  •  Communication with Governmental staffs
    PHJ carries out periodical monitoring of these projects together with the Township Health Office. This monitoring is important for PHJ to extend services responding to the actual needs of the project site and reflecting the policies of the local health administration office.

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