A reproductive health needs assessment in Myanmar

A Reproductive Health Needs Assessment in Myanmar
Priority for training and provision of materials should be given to GPs currently
providing the highest volume of birth spacing services.
Drug shops - Many women obtain contraceptive commodities directly from drug shops. For
users of oral contraceptive pills this may be their only contact with a service provider. Users
of injectable contraceptives may visit general practitioner or other health care providers to
receive their injection, however, they have typically already purchased the injection, along
with a needle and syringe, at a drug shop prior to seeing the health professional. Hence:,
important decisions regarding which injectable contraceptive to buy have already been made
by the time the client meets the GP. Consequently, drug shops play a major role in the
provision of birth spacing services within Myanmar.
Township medical officers should conduct a one-day training to improve the skills of
drug shop staff in the provision of contraceptive methods. The focus of this training
should be on oral and injectable hormonal contraceptives. This will require
providing the township medical officers with training regarding the use of Curriculum
on Birth Spacing recently adapted for use with drug shop dispensers.
Recently oral contraceptive pills and injectable contraceptives have been placed on
Myanmar’s essential drug list. This major policy decision allows these contraceptives to now
be imported duty free. As a consequence, the supply of affordable and high quality
contraceptive commodities in Myanmar should improve rapidly by allowing legally imported
contraceptives to compete in price with inferior commodities currently brought across
borders from neighbouring countries.
The Food and Drug Supervisory Committee at township level should encourage drug
shop owners to procure supplies from the most reliable sources.
National NGOs - Given their extensive network of affiliates at township level, there is a
potential for Myanmar Maternal Child Welfare Association to play a greater role in birth
spacing activities. This includes expansion of their current sensitisation and community
mobilisation activities, as well as the provision of selected birth spacing services, such as the
community-based distribution of condoms and oral contraceptive pills. Other NGOs, such as
the Red Cross, should also be sensitised to issues related to birth spacing. In order to achieve
this potential, the MCWA will require both technical and IEC material support.
The reproductive health training and multiplier training activities of the Maternal and
Child Welfare Association should be expanded to reach all townships and, within
townships, attention should be given to rural, as well as urban areas.
All national NGOs should be provided with appropriate IEC materials for
distribution to community members.
Public sector - The assessment team noted that while birth spacing services are provided
throughout Myamnar in the private sector, quality and price of commodities and services in
this sector are often a barrier to access and appropriate use. Public sector services have been
more effective in addressing these issues, to date, however, these services have only been
provided in a limited number of townships.
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