The Danish Embassy in Banghkok has during August signed two new contracts with international NGOs working in Burma / Myanmar. Common to all projects is that they are part of a strong Danish effort to improve access to basic health services in Burma. Public spending on healthcare in Burma in 2008 represented only 0.23% of Burma’s GDP, placing it among the countries in the world that uses absolute minimum of health care.
One contract is with Population Services International (PSI) to help facilitate access to affordable reproductive health services and information about family planning. The project will contribute to stop the spread of HIV, improve child health and reduce the number of women who die in childbirth.
Besides cooperation with PSI, the embassy has also engaged itself in a project through the organization PACT International, to combat tuberculosis, malaria and HIV in rural areas in Burma. This 2.1 million kroner project should also help to improve children’s health and is expected to reach about 40,000 households in the Dry Zone area of Burma through education and use of local health workers.
Foreign assistance to Burma is about 11 USD per capita. Cambodia receives in comparison 80 USD per capita and Laos 51 USD.
