The program integrates new and refurbished health facilities in remote and hard-to-reach rural areas into the wider health system, with steady training, supervision, and supplies. Numerous parts of Shan State are under different administrative systems and are not readily accessible to the public health providers; when this is the case, local ethnic and community-based health workers are often the sole service-providers. These providers’ lack resources, have weak infrastructure, human-resource challenges, and an unreliable supply-chain for drugs and commodities. The vision of Universal Health Coverage, central to the Sustainable Development Agenda and to Myanmar’s National Health Plan (2017-2030), will only be achieved if underserved and marginalized populations see their access to health improved.
These gaps were identified via Access to Health Fund’s previous work in these states and a thorough needs assessment conducted in Year 1 of the program. Specific communities/health facility sites are being identified via a thorough site selection process validated by previous similar projects completed by Access to Health Fund in Myanmar.

The program implements a strategic purchasing mechanism to support local ethnic health providers’ transition towards a more financially sustainable health system and establish a supply chain management unit for forecasting, pooling, procurement, and distribution of commodities, ensuring uninterrupted availability of supplies.

In support of local health facilities’ infrastructure needs, the program is refurbishing 19 existing facilities and managing the design, construction, and equipment of 21 new rural/sub-rural health-centers. Facilities are sustainably designed, for example through the use and installation of solar panels and integration/adaptation to local materials and maintenance capacities.

The program is also empowering and increasing the capacity of local health staff to provide quality health services and increase the uptake of services through demand generation activities. Key activities include forming new or revitalizing existing village health committees to elicit a greater sense of ownership among local communities for their health and well-being, training new and existing health facility staff; improving HR database systems to inform policy developments and identify training needs and HR gaps etc., and recruiting and training peer educators on health messaging of adolescent sexual and reproductive health among local youth communities.