Social development
Public health
Shortage of TB doctors leading to patient backlogs
Head doctors at hospitals around Myanmar are calling for more resources to be dedicated to the fight against tuberculosis, as a current shortfall in medical officers has left patients waiting on treatment. The calls were made at an annual national evaluation meeting in Yangon on December ...
1,000 elderly care centres to be set up
The Health Service Support Department plans to set up more than 1,000 elderly care centres as part of preparations for the nation’s ageing society. Department spokesman Pattarapon Jungsomjatepaisal said on December 18 the agency is working on the project to establish the centres across the country. ...
Deputy PM pushes for speedy mother and child health improvements
Deputy Prime Minister has called on the Ministry of Health to speed up improvements to health services for mothers and their children especially at district and community levels. Dr Sonexay Siphandone made the call in his address at a meeting held last week to review ...
Ministry reviews UNFPA country programme
The Ministry of Planning and Investment and the United Nations Fund for Population Activities organised the final review of the 5th Country Programme and the first planning meeting for the 6th Country Programme for Laos. The meeting highlighted key achievements in the areas of sexual ...
Thailand issues malaria warning during peak tourist season
Thailand’s disease control department on December 8 issued a warning for malaria for those planning to take trips or camp out in the country’s forests during the current peak tourist season. “Malaria-carrying mosquitoes are commonly found in forests bordering Myanmar, particularly in Kanchanaburi province”, Dr Vichan ...
With HIV rates declining, drug treatment funding shrinks
Drug treatment programs are being cut back even as rates of abuse rise—with one organization describing the situation as a “crisis”—because most funding is tied to HIV prevention and the prevalence of the virus is decreasing, health experts said. “Virtually all civil society funding related ...
European Union, CARE support nutrition project in Northern provinces
The European Union and CARE Denmark are providing over 2 million euro to support food and nutrition security projects in Luang Namtha and Phongsaly provinces. The four-year project on promoting agricultural production to improve food and nutrition security through multi-sector coordination were signed by CARE ...
Cambodia seals health pacts with China
Cambodia and China signed agreements on December 6 to build capacity in Cambodia’s health services, expand technology and fight the spread of diseases. After the official signing of four agreements, Health Minister Mam Bun Heng said the Chinese help would include preventing the spread of threats ...
Experts wary of fish to fight dengue
The National Dengue Control Program, a department under the Health Ministry, remains skeptical in the implementation of a new dengue-prevention method, citing concerns about the program’s long-term sustainability.Despite a Malaria Consortium pilot project – which uses guppy fish to eat mosquito larvae to stem the ...
Foreign diplomats wish Laos continued success in development
The heads of diplomatic missions in Laos have expressed confidence that the current National Socio-Economic Development Plan will lead to tangible progress in achieving continuous, inclusive and sustainable growth. This was the main message delivered by foreign diplomats to the country’s leaders, government and citizens ...