Four donors; the United Kingdom, Sweden, United states, and Switzerland committed to tackling complex challenges through continued pooled funding for Myanmar’s health sector. The signing event held at Sein lane Soe Pyay Garden on November 20, 2018 was attended by representatives from the Ministry of Health and Sports, the four donors, and representing Access to Health fund. Access to Health Fund Board Chair Rea Bonzi, who is the First Secretary, Head of Health and Local Governance, Embassy of Switzerland has acknowledged the critical role of the Access to Health Fund in reducing gaps in health service delivery.
This pooled funding mechanism, the access to health fund, will operate from January 2019 to the end of 2023. Access to Health is aligned with national health goals and priorities, especially supporting the achievement of universal health coverage by 2030 as laid out in Myanmar’s National Health plan 2017- 2021. Gail Marzetti, Head of UK Aid in Myanmar, said “In Myanmar, one in three children are stunted. At least 1,900 pregnant women and 48,000 children under five die from preventable causes every year. But, there is good news. The Access to Health fund will work together with the Ministry of Health and Sports and ethic health organizations to address these issues, implementing interventions based on lessons learned from the three Millennium Development Goals Fund.” The Access to Health fund will be supporting the Myanmar response to communicable diseases, mother and child health, and will also dedicate resources to supporting Myanmar’s health system through investments in human capacity, infrastructure and management systems.
