Health in Myanmar

The current population of Myanmar is 54.05 million. It was 27.27 million in 1970.^[1] The general state of healthcare in Myanmar (also known as Burma) is poor. The military government of 1962-2011 spent anywhere from 0.5% to 3% of the country's GDP on healthcare. Healthcare in Myanmar is consistently ranked among the lowest in the world. In 2015, in congruence with a new democratic government, a series of healthcare reforms were enacted. In 2017, the reformed government spent 5.2% of GDP on healthcare expenditures. Health indicators have begun to improve as spending continues to increase.^[2][3] Patients continue to pay the majority of healthcare costs out of pocket. Although, out of pocket costs were reduced from 85% to 62% from 2014 to 2015. They continue to drop annually. The global average of healthcare costs paid out of pocket is 32%. Both public and private hospitals are understaffed due to a national shortage of doctors and nurses. Public hospitals lack many of the basic facilities and equipment. WHO consistently ranks Myanmar among the worst nations in healthcare.^[4]

As of 2020, Myanmar had a total population of over 54 million people. The increased population has brought with it a need for change and modernization within the healthcare sector. The administration of the healthcare system is distributed between the public and private sectors, in terms of finance and supply. Nevertheless, all administrative functions are ultimately overseen by the Ministry of Health (MoH).

The Ministry of Health is further divided into six departments which provide healthcare services to the entire population. Basic healthcare services and primary healthcare are catered to by the Department of Public Health. The Department of Medical Services oversees treatments and rehabilitation facilities, while the Department of Medical research conducts nation-wide surveys and research for medical development. The training of medical health professionals is the duty of the Department of Health Professional Resource Development (HPRD) and Management. Other areas within the ministry include the Department of Food and Drug Administration, and the Department of Traditional Medicine.^[5]

The Human Rights Measurement Initiative^[6] finds that Myanmar is fulfilling 81.5% of what it should be fulfilling for the right to health based on its level of income.^[7] When looking at the right to health with respect to children, Myanmar achieves 89.9% of what is expected based on its current income.^[8] In regards to the right to health amongst the adult population, the country achieves only 83.5% of what is expected based on the nation's level of income. ^[9] Myanmar falls into the "very bad" category when evaluating the right to reproductive health because the nation is fulfilling only 71.2% of what the nation is expected to achieve based on the resources (income) it has available.^[10]