A few days back I noted that the number of donors to the 3 MDG Fund had decreased. Australia is out. So is the EU. http://hivinfo4mm.org/donors-depart-the-3mdg-fund/

Some anonymous thoughts from readers:

The Australia DFAT decision is not a recent one. Although Fund Managers and remaining donors to 3MDG Fund did not publicise it to save the face of those who left. DFAT was looking for a 40% cut to Myanmar country support of about $100 million. Its next tranche of payment to the 3MDGF was planned to be 40 million; so a single cut in health sector alone fulfilled the needed 40% cut. Australia still spends a lot on other sectors in Myanmar, particularly education.

The EU declared it would stop its support to the health sector to Myanmar in 2014 or 2015. It is active in several other sectors. Danish Danida was supporting health sector only for a brief period and has now stopped.

Why are major bilaterals retreating from the health sector?

Is Suu Kyi not focusing enough on health? Her four priorities are education, economic development, peace, and Rakhine.

Some bilaterals say that a reduction in international assistance to the health sector will provide a healthy push to governments of developing countries to spend more of their own public resources.

There has been some dispute about aid amounts, and misunderstanding of the issues and challenges in health sector, leading to the thinking that there is more money in health sector than people can manage. The government's attempt to continue use the phrase 'free of charge' doesn't help this. The World Bank's loan is thought of as a grant and is faced with many procedural barriers in implementation.

Thoughts? Comments?

Jamie