NEIGHBOURS PLAN BORDER HEALTH BOOST
MANDALAY, MYANMAR: Thailand and Myanmar have launched a three-year joint action plan to improve public health along the border and for Myanmar migrants in Thailand.
Public Health Minister Pradit Sintawanarong and his Myanmar counterpart Pe Thet Khin signed a memorandum of understanding on health collaboration at the Myanmar-Thailand Health Collaborative Ministerial Meeting in Mandalay on Friday.
The 2013-2015 Joint Action Plan covers food, drug and cosmetic controls, health promotion and traditional medicine development.
It includes strengthening capacity for cross-border collaboration on disease surveillance and control, Dr Pradit said.
The two agreed to boost human resources and research development.
‘‘All areas are priorities for both countries,’’ Dr Pradit said. ‘‘We will work together to make this become reality.’’
According to Employment Department statistics, about 78% of migrant workers in Thailand are from Myanmar.
The Public Health Ministry estimates about one million Myanmar migrants work inside Thailand, while another 1.6 million live and work on the border.
The prevalence of HIV and drugresistant TB among Myanmar migrants is 1% and 4% respectively, while 8,367 malaria cases were reported on the ThaiMyanmar border last year, according to the ministry.
Dr Pe Thet Khin admitted that health services on the border are not as good as those available inside Myanmar.
The Myanmar government is conducting peace talks with ethnic insurgent groups in Kayin and Shan states, which border Thailand’s Mae Hong Son, Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Tak, and Kanchanaburi provinces, Dr Khin said.
If the peace negotiations are successful, people living on the border will receive more attention from the government and will gain access to better health care, he said.
Dr Khin said Myanmar’s health authorities want the country to develop a strong healthcare system. ‘‘We are committed to [creating] universal healthcare coverage. We are beginning to learn from other countries’ experiences.’’