National Medicines Policy is critical for ensuring essential medicines are procured, stored, distributed in a timely manner to patients. Public heath authorities often utilise National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) to procure, store and distribute essential medicines. One of the key ingredients of the national policy is to regularly update NLEM.
National Medicines Policy is critical for ensuring essential medicines are procured, stored, distributed in a timely manner to patients. Public heath authorities often utilise National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) to procure, store and distribute essential medicines. One of the key ingredients of the national policy is to regularly update NLEM. The last NLEM was produced for the year 2016. In 2024, with technical support from WCO Myanmar, the NLEM was updated for the year 2024 which was disseminated to stakeholders for their prescription, dispensing and use.
Strengthen HRH capacity with a focus on creating an enabling policy and strategy for management, recruitment and retention of front-line health workers.
The Myanmar National Health Plan (NHP 2017-21) and Human Resources for Health Strategy have highlighted several challenges and gaps in health system limiting the capacity of the country to reach UHC goals. The most significant gap relates to the lack of availability of a skilled frontline health workforce, especially in rural and remote areas including the ethnic States and border regions. A necessary condition for attaining UHC goals are to ensure equitable distribution and retention of frontline health staff with required skills to provide primary case services in all States and Regions. Recognizing the need, A Rural and Remote Frontline Health Workers Retention Strategy (2021-2026) was developed. With support from WCO Myanmar, the document was prepared and was taken up for implementation.
National Medicines Policy is critical for ensuring essential medicines are procured, stored, distributed in a timely manner to patients. Public heath authorities often utilise National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) to procure, store and distribute essential medicines. One of the key ingredients of the national policy is to regularly update NLEM.
National Medicines Policy is critical for ensuring essential medicines are procured, stored, distributed in a timely manner to patients. Public heath authorities often utilise National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) to procure, store and distribute essential medicines. One of the key ingredients of the national policy is to regularly update NLEM. The last NLEM was produced for the year 2016. In 2024, with technical support from WCO Myanmar, the NLEM was updated for the year 2024 which was disseminated to stakeholders for their prescription, dispensing and use.
National strategy on quantification and specification to improve supply chain planning and procurement
National strategy on quantification and specification to improve supply chain planning and procurement involving policy and strategy document will need to be updated. The last Myanmar National Medicines Policy and Strategy (2018-2021) was formulated in 2019. Technical support on implementation of the policy and strategy was paused in 2021 due to political crisis. Support resumed in 2023. Currently, WCO Myanmar is extending support to Ministry of Health for strengthening Rationale Use of Medicines in public health settings.
National Health Financing strategy implementation supported with focus on health expenditure monitoring and options for alternative health financing since 2020.
National Health Financing strategy implementation supported with focus on health expenditure monitoring and options for alternative health financing.
This activity was paused in February 2021 due to political changes.
Beginning in 2023, as part of the health expenditure monitoring exercise, the National Health Accounts for the years 2019 to 2022 was produced, supported by WCO Myanmar in the year 2024. The dissemination of the report is likely to be taken up in early 2025.
Strengthen HRH capacity with a focus on creating an enabling policy and strategy for management, recruitment and retention of front-line health workers.
The Myanmar National Health Plan (NHP 2017-21) and Human Resources for Health Strategy have highlighted several challenges and gaps in health system limiting the capacity of the country to reach UHC goals. The most significant gap relates to the lack of availability of a skilled frontline health workforce, especially in rural and remote areas including the ethnic States and border regions. A necessary condition for attaining UHC goals are to ensure equitable distribution and retention of frontline health staff with required skills to provide primary case services in all States and Regions. Recognizing the need, A Rural and Remote Frontline Health Workers Retention Strategy (2021-2026) was developed. With support from WCO Myanmar, the document was prepared and was taken up for implementation.
Basic Health Services staff capacity improved. During 2020, the MoH set up a CHRH unit at Ministry of Health with support from WHO. The tasks also included among recruitment, trainings and evaluation of BHS staff capacity. The CHRH unit became dysfunctional in 2021 after the political changes as legitimacy of the government was in question. Activities began in 2023, with support from WHO, evaluation of the BHS staff was conducted and similar such support was also provided in 2024.
SakthivelSelvaraj