Improving Local Health Organizations’ Capacity to
Bring Health Services to Vulnerable Populations in Shan State
The Access to Health Fund launched a new five-year programme on 1 January 2021 funded through the Global CSR Program at Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, a global, values-based, research and development-driven biopharmaceutical leader headquartered in Japan.
With a focus on sustainability, the Takeda-funded programme aims to strengthen healthcare for underserved communities in Myanmar’s Shan State by improving health infrastructure, providing training and support for health staff, implementing strategic purchasing initiatives and reinforcing the supply chain management of local health organizations.
PROGRAMME TOWNSHIPS
The programme will work with implementing partners and local health organizations to improve health services in ten townships in Shan State.
PROGRAMME INTERVENTIONS
The programme focuses on the three areas to improve health services in Shan State: assets, people and health system strengthening.
Assets
With an emphasis on sustainable infrastructure design, the programme will build several new health facilities as well as refurbish and improve selected existing facilities and delivery rooms for local health organizations. Infrastructure work under this component will be led by the UNOPS Infrastructure Unit.
People
The programme will empower the workforce and strengthen the capacity of health staff from local health organizations, community-based health workers and members of the village health committee to provide quality health services and increase the uptake of health services through demand generation activities with local communities. Health workers are supported to deliver services in the areas of primary health care; maternal, newborn and child health; nutrition; sexual and reproductive health; and malaria, based on local needs.
Health System Strengthening
To strengthen the health system, the programme will (i) implement a health financing initiative with the aim to transition towards a more financially sustainable system and (ii) improve local health organizations’ supply chain management for effective forecasting, pooling and distribution of commodities to ensure the uninterrupted availability of supplies.