Helping to build a healthier Myanmar

The quality and capability of healthcare systems to cope with a huge number of cases is often debated in the Western world. But spare a thought for the people of Myanmar.

With a population of more than 60 million, the South-East Asian nation has only one doctor for every 2600 people, compared to one doctor for every 333 people in Australia.

Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) also has consistently ranked among the lowest countries in the world for health spending.

However, recent political changes in Myanmar have brought about more than just a desire for greater democracy - improving the health system has become one of the nation's priorities.

To help boost its education, training and quality of healthcare, the Myanmar government is now working with the University of Adelaide's Faculty of Health Sciences. Funded by AusAID, a group of eight administrators and medical professors from Myanmar visited the University recently for an intensive two-week session on how to build the nation's health capital.

The visitors included a high-ranking official from the Ministry of Health, Director General of Medical Sciences Dr Than Zaw Myint, the Ministry's directors of postgraduate, undergraduate, and nursing and midwifery education and training, and senior representatives of Myanmar's University of Medicine 1 and New Yangon General Hospital.

"We want to expose our people as much as possible to the international arena, especially to a world-class university like the University of Adelaide," Dr Myint said.

"We have a population of 60 million, and according to the ASEAN standard we have to produce at least 2000 medical doctors per year. Producing that many graduates from 10 or 20 universities would be quite acceptable, but we have only four universities in Myanmar," he said.

The visit enabled the Myanmar officials to learn about the University of Adelaide's administrative structure, educational programs and philosophy, selection and accreditation processes, and to make personal and professional connections with Adelaide's staff.

One man who has a keen interest in the success of the Myanmar health initiative is Dr Robert Bauze, Clinical Associate Professor in Orthopaedics and Trauma at the University of Adelaide and Program Coordinator of the Myanmar team's visit to Adelaide.

Associate Professor Bauze first travelled to Myanmar in 1976 and has since gone back more than a dozen times. "On my first visit to Myanmar, the main emotion of the people was fear," he said.
"Now when I go, there is a feeling of hope - hope
and enthusiasm."

Fellow clinicians and University of Adelaide staff members Professor Randall Faull, Professor Alan Pearson and Dr James Muecke have also been working in Myanmar on a regular basis.

"We have had links with Myanmar for the last 30 years," said the Associate Dean (International) of the University's Faculty of Health Sciences, Dr Mohammad Afzal Mahmood.

"Now we aim to build on those relationships, creating opportunities for further collaboration," he said.