MHDC Activities (2013-2014)
1) Assist in improving social and economic dimensions of the workforce through capacity enhancement
MHDC is supporting Aye Myanmar Association (AMA) within its capacity building mandate to work with key affected populations targeting femalesex workers (FSWs), providing sexual and reproductive health services including referral clinical services, access to voluntary counseling and testing (VCT), and HIV-related care and support partnering with other organizations to scale up the sexual and reproductive health services for female sex worker populations.
With the support from UNFPA, the project delivery mechanism covering June 2014 to December 2014 consisted of peer-led outreach and facilitated social support and health services provisions in 6 townships: (1) Latha; (2) Kyi Myint Dine; (3) Mingalar Taung Nyut; (4) Hlaing Tharyar; (5) North Okkala; and (6) Insein where AMA has a full-time field supervisor and full-time peer educators.
The goal is to reduce the risks of sexual and reproductive health (SRH), sexually transmitted infections (STI) and HIV transmission and to improve the sexual health of female sex workers in Myanmar.
AMA worked with hard to reach populations targeting massage parlors, hotels, brothels, nightclubs, karaoke bars and street-based Female Sex Workers. Through its extensive network, community based organisations (CBOs) and Self Help Groups; AMA has reached over 1,000 female sex workers with HIV prevention interventions and distributed over 62,000 condoms to most at risk populations in the communities.
| No. | Outputs achieved during reporting period through AMA Network in 2014 | Output | Target | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Number of townships implementing HIV prevention activities with UNFPA support through partners | 6 | 6 | 100% |
| 2. | Number of UNFPA-funded training for AMA peer educators | 1 | 1 | 100% |
| 3. | Number of female sex workers reached with HIV prevention programs | 1020 | 1200 | 85% |
| 4. | Number of female sex workers tested for HIV and know results | 164 | 150 | 109% |
| 5. | Number of female sex workers treated for STI | 156 | 150 | 104% |
| 6. | Number of female sex workers who received family planning services | 135 | 200 | 68% |
| 7. | Number of male condoms distributed free of charge to most at-risk populations* | 62,586 | – | – |
| 8. | Number of female condoms distributed free of charge to most at-risk populations* | 2688 | – | – |
Note: Cumulative data from June to December 2014 * 2014 condom distribution based on2013 distribution of approximately 70,000 male condoms and 4000 female condoms.
2) Facilitate the use of cutting edge technologies and innovative approaches in health and development programmes
Myanmar has less than 10 percent of its 60 million populations with mobile phone connectivity (compared to 70 percent in Cambodia, 87 percent in Laos and 100 percent in Thailand), thus providing a major market entry opportunity for telecom providers. Leveraging on the recent Myanmar Post and Telecommunication announcement to award permits to two telecommunication companies (Norway’s Telenor and Qatar’s Ooredoo), MHDC is working with UNICEF, PATH, mHealth Alliance, 3MDG Fund, University of Oslo, the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and a number of other partners to engage with telecommunication providers for connectivity and to promote eHealth and mHealth platforms in Myanmar to advance public health service delivery and in health system strengthening efforts for off-grid communities. This effort can help to improve some goals of the National Health Plan, particularly in health system strengthening, universal health coverage and health information system such as eHealth and mHealth tools in hard to reach areas of the country.
3) Promote private-public partnerships for health and development activities
On September 29, 2014, a forum was held on “Opportunities for Corporate Sector Engagement in Malaria Control in Asia-Pacific” at the Shangri-la Hotel in Yangon, Myanmar. The forum was co-hosted by Asia-Pacific Leaders Malaria Alliance (APLMA), the Roll Back Malaria (RBM) Partnership, and GBCHealth, in partnership with the Myanmar Health and Development Consortium (MHDC), Malaria No More, and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and with support from Sanofi. The forum was built on a previous meeting held in Myanmar in November 2013, organized by the Union of the Republic of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI), with the support of the Ministry of Health, in association with MHDC and the Myanmar Business Coalition on Aid (MBCA), to engage the corporate sector to discuss actionable steps to implement malaria control activities for their workforce and to support containment of artemisinin resistance. The forum brought together over 100 participants from the business community, government, donor organizations and implementing partners representing Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam, Papua New Guinea, and Cambodia for a one-day working meeting to identify how and where the private sector is able to enhance and accelerate malaria control and elimination efforts in Asia Pacific, particularly in the face of challenges such as drug resistance. An outcome of the two forums was a list of 40 companies signing on to an accreditation scheme, agreeing to adopt in whole or part, the “Corporate Commitment to Combat Artemisinin Resistance in Myanmar”. Commitments pledged by signatories include:
- To educate themselves on diagnosis and treatment of malaria, and ultimately set up facilities to provide free universal access to their workforce with quality assured drugs within 24 hours of onset of illness;
- To learn and educate their staff on appropriate means of prevention (LLIN, IRS) and provide free universal access to preventative measures for the workforce; and
- To collaborate with Myanmar public health services and the National Malaria Control Program to promote universal district coverage, ultimately through the free provision of quality assured malaria diagnosis, treatment and prevention.
4) Promote linkages with international and local networks and collaboration partners
MHDC served as the Health and Team Leader for the consulting group for UN agencies, which provided expertise for the ICPD Beyond 2014 Global Survey. MHDC worked with UNFPA focal persons for ICPD beyond 2014, partners, and stakeholders to deliver the following outputs: Information on all areas of survey questionnaire collected and compiled, ICPD Plan of Action advocated for among stakeholders, and the public; capacity strengthening workshops conducted, Global survey questionnaire validated and complete; and to work with Joint UN MNCH team to review concept paper for 3MDG Fund developed jointly between 3 UN agencies in Yangon and Nay Pyi Taw. The project was successful and all contractual obligations were completed.
5) Improve health and development outcomes in Myanmar and in the region
The first ever business mapping for malaria was created for Tanintharyi region, which included: business locations; mapping businesses against population density; mapping the businesses and population density against malaria endemicity; and business sector mapping. A similar joint-intiative with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), to utilize their existing mechanism for tracking migrant and mobile workers, was conducted in Mon State and a follow-up GPS mapping for Dawei in Tanintharyi region. The mappings have been an asset and much needed data for strategic malaria intervention and businesses.
MHDC Activities (2012-2013)
1) Assist in improving social and economic dimensions of the workforce through capacity enhancement
MHDC is supporting AIDS Myanmar Alliance (AMA) within its capacity building mandate to work with marginalised populations (e.g. female, male and transgender sex workers) in four sites providing sexual and reproductive health services including referral clinical services, access to voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) and HIV-related care and support partnering with other organizations to scale up the sexual and reproductive health services for the sex worker populations. The project delivery mechanism consists of peer-led outreach and facilitating social support and health services provisions to be made accessible to the community. Additionally, AMA is employing an income generation model to their program, using these additional funds to support HIV positive sex workers by providing transportation and housing during treatment as well as a support system for sex workers who have been arrested. From June to December 2013, AMA reached over 2000 female and male sex workers with HIV prevention interventions and were featured in The Diplomat Magazine as a model organization for HIV intervention among sex workers in Southeast Asia.
| No. | Results achieved through AMA Network in 2013 | MHDC-AMA |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Number of facilities in UNFPA-supported areas that provide services to prevent HIV to populations that are most at risk | 4 |
| 2. | Number of female sex workers reached with HIV prevention interventions | 1886 |
| 3. | Number of female sex workers who received STI treatment in 2013 | 148 |
| 4. | Number of female sex workers who know HIV status | 139 |
| 5. | Number of female sex workers who received family planning services | 76 |
| 6. | Number of men who have sex with men reached by HIV prevention interventions | 347 |
| 7. | Number of MSM who received STI treatment in 2013 | 57 |
| 8. | Number of MSM who know HIV status | 61 |
| 9. | Number of men who receive family planning services | 20 |
| 10. | Number of condoms distributed free of charge to most at risk populations (MSMs, Sex Workers and IDUs) | 69850 |
Note: Cumulative data from June-December 2013
2) Facilitate the use of cutting edge technologies and innovative approaches in health and development programmes
Myanmar has less than 10 percent of its 60 million populations with mobile phone connectivity (compared to 70 percent in Cambodia, 87 percent in Laos and 100 percent in Thailand), thus providing a major market entry opportunity for telecom providers. Leveraging on the recent Myanmar Post and Telecom announcement to award permits to two telecom companies (Norway’s Telenor and Qatar’s Ooredoo), MHDC is working with UNICEF, PATH, mHealth Alliance, 3MDG Fund, the Global Fund, the University of Oslo and a number of other partners to engage telecommunication providers for promoting mobile health (mHealth) platforms and to explore the possibility of harnessing surplus energy for off-grid health clinics in rural Myanmar. A draft strategy is being developed to link cell phone services and infrastructure for advancing the public health delivery and in strengthening the health system for off-grid communities.
3) Promote private-public partnerships for health and development activities
The Malaria Forum on “Corporate Sectors and non-state Actors Response to the Threat of Artemisinin Resistance in Myanmar” was held in Yangon on November 25-26, 2013. Organized by the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI) with support from the Ministry of Health (MOH) in association with Myanmar Health and Development Consortium (MHDC) and the Myanmar Business Coalition on AID (MBCA).
- This was the first forum in the country to engage the corporate sector to discuss actionable steps to implement malaria control activities for their workforce and to support containment of artemisinin resistance.
- Over 170 representatives from private sector, civil society, and government as well as from the United Nations, multilateral and bilateral agencies, research and scientific community as well as the media attended this forum. The objective of the forum was to agree on an accreditation scheme that will incentivize companies to act in support of the containment efforts.
- The Forum concluded with 17 companies and organizations agreeing to adopt the “Corporate commitment to combat artemisinin resistance in Myanmar” through an accreditation scheme. Signatories of the commitment agreed to cooperate with the Forum Organizers including UMFCCI Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Office, MOH and NMCP to promote universal district health coverage, and towards free provision of quality assured malaria diagnosis, treatment and prevention.