That is a lot of health centres being built by the 3 MDG Fund. Eighty. I've remarked before that paying for buildings increases the burn rate of funds.
Er, how much will they cost? What percentage of the total 3MDGF budget is spent on buildings? It is not in the indecipherable last page of financials in the new annual report for 2015.
I'm not going to question whether empty buildings improve health.
Jamie
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New rural healthcare centres aim to improve maternal, child health
Myint Kay Thi
Myanmar Times
Nearly 80 health centres will be built in rural Myanmar to improve services and reduce inequality, according to the Three Millennium Development Goal Fund.
The project targets rural areas in the country where obstacles for accessing healthcare services abound, including bad road conditions, high cost of transportation and often poor services available at existing clinics.
People living outside the cities have shorter life expectancies and are affected by higher numbers of maternal and infant mortality, according to a statement released by the 3MDG Fund. As many as 2400 pregnant women and 70,000 children continue to die each year, mostly from preventable diseases, its website states.
The first 17 centres have already been built in Magwe Region and handed over to the Ministry of Health and Sports. Another 61 will be constructed by 2017, financed by the 3MDG Fund, which is managed by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS).
The focus of the healthcare provided in the centres is on maternal, newborn and child health, according to the statement. Services will also be available for the treatment and prevention of infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and malaria. All centres will have two to five staff and have the capacity to treat 30 to 50 patients a day.
“We believe that the health facilities can fulfill the health needs of people by focusing on maternal and child health services, combating against communicable diseases, providing basic healthcare, nutrition and immunisation,” Dr Soe Lwin Nyein, director general for the Department of Public Health, was quoted as saying in the statement.
After Magwe, the other centres will be built at several locations in Ayeyarwady (15 centres), Mandalay (2), Sagaing (17) and Yangon (3) regions, as well as Chin (5), Kayah (6) and Shan (13) states.
Last month, Health Minister Dr Myint Htwe told The Myanmar Times that donor-funded health programs for rural areas would be prioritised as the government seeks to streamline NGO projects.
http://www.mmtimes.com/index.php/national-news/20937-new-rural-healthcare-centres-aim-to-improve-maternal-child-health.html
