Here are two pieces of good news out of the Ministry of Health and Sports: more research funding and the development of a better digital health information system.
Jamie
++++++++++++++++++
Health ministry plans to increase funding for medical research
Myint Kay Thi
Myanmar Times
Wednesday, 18 January 2017
State-funded medical research will receive a slight budget boost in the coming financial year with the ministry planning on pooling the windfall into a grant program for the 16 universities with medical research departments, according to the health official heading the research department.
U Kyaw Zin Thant, Director General of the Department of Medical Research, said the health ministry is expecting an annual uptick in funding in the upcoming 2017-2018 financial year. The ministry plans on earmarking a larger share of this funding for health research, shifting the allocation from the usual 1 percent, to as much as 2pc of the health budget, he said.
“We will share K1 billion out of the medical research department’s budget to establish a research grant. That K1 billion is just for research programs at the 16 medical schools and universities with medical-related programs. Each university will manage the grant and choose what research to fund,” said U Kyaw Zin Thant.
“In the 2016-2017 budget year, the Medical Research Department received K7.6 billion. We expect the department’s funding to increase beyond the current amount,” he added. “Though the amount is not on par with the funding that is needed, we are happy to offer grants in the coming year to support more research programs. This research may help us to solve health problems with specific, documented evidence.”
The research department head made the announcement at Myanmar’s 45th Health Research Congress in Yangon last week. The congress discussed 103 research papers, and hosted a display of 56 research projects.
Speaking at the opening of the research congress, Union minister U Myint Htwe, said the Ministry of Health and Sport will devote more resources toward health research starting in April 2017. The minister also said that the government wants to promote clinical research and eventually plans on establishing clinical research units in all of the country’s major hospitals.
“I think we have asked for K1 billion in additional funding to be allocated for research,” he said.
Myanmar’s health expenditure as a percentage of its GDP still lags behind neighbouring countries, spending just over 1 percent of the projected K84 trillion GDP in 2016-2017. The World Health Organisation recommends countries spend a minimum of 5pc of their GDP on health.
http://www.mmtimes.com/index.php/national-news/yangon/24589-health-ministry-plans-to-increase-funding-for-medical-research.html
++++++++++++++++++
Nationwide health reporting system to be established
Ei Thinzar Kyaw
Eleven
Wed, 02/08/2017 - 17:14
The Ministry for Health and Sports will establish a nationwide health reporting system, which will record up to date health data and monitor the outbreak of diseases.
Through the National Health Project Plan (2017-2021), basic health care will be provided to the entire nation and the ministry will move from paper based projects to electronic based projects. As a result, health care providers can easily see the data of areas where they have been assigned and can therefore provide quality health care to local populations.
As has been an increase in use of mobile phones in most parts of the country, it is believed that transforming medical care into electronic form will contribute to better care in the future. According to the needs of the country, the system was tested in four townships in 2014-2015. In December 2015, with the assistance from DMDG Fund, training were also conducted in a further 26 townships.
Translated by May Aung Shwe
http://www.elevenmyanmar.com/local/7782
