Ensuring access to life-saving healthcare for mothers and newborns in Myanmar

Myanmar | 2024 | CERF

Access to quality healthcare during pregnancy, childbirth and early childhood is essential to reducing maternal and infant deaths and preventing long-term health complications. Despite progress in recent decades, Myanmar’s maternal mortality ratio remains high with 179 deaths per 100,000 live births, according to UN inter-agency estimates.

In 2024, escalating violence between the Myanmar Armed Forces and armed groups, coupled with severe monsoon floods, further exacerbated challenges in accessing critical health services. These compounded crises left many vulnerable communities struggling to receive essential medical care.

In response, a $13 million CERF allocation to Myanmar enabled UN agencies, including WHO, to deliver urgent assistance to the hardest-to-reach areas affected by conflict and flooding. Through this initiative, WHO and its partners provided sustained and equitable access to maternal healthcare.

Thanks to these efforts, the lives of Ma Aye and her baby were saved, and her family was protected from falling into financial hardship due to catastrophic health expenditures.

Her husband recounted their ordeal: “After a long and arduous journey from our village to the hospital—first by motorbike and then in a rented three-wheeled sidecar—we finally arrived.” Along the way, Ma Aye experienced further complications due to pregnancy-induced hypertension, requiring an emergency surgical delivery.

Thanks to a timely intervention at a WHO-supported hospital, Ma Aye delivered her baby safely and received comprehensive, free medical care for both her and her newborn.

“This brought immense relief,” her husband expressed. “Both mother and baby are now safe and healthy. We are grateful for the assistance.”

Posted May 2025.

Based on an original story from WHO
More information on the CERF's work in 2024
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