NAY PYI TAW, 5 Feb-Vice-President Dr Sai Mauk Kham, after attending the inauguration of Ayeyawady Bridge (Sinkham) yesterday morning, visited Katha in Katha District of Sagaing Region.
The Vice-President, accompanied by Union ministers, the Mandalay Region chief minister, Sagaing Region Chief Minister U Tha Aye and personnel went to No. 1 Basic Education High School Katha where they viewed computer room, computer aided instruction room, audio visual room, physics lab and classrooms and spoke words of encouragement to the students.
The Vice-President signed the visitors’ book and called teachers for higher educational qualification of students. Next, IGECompanyChairmanUNayAung, UKyawKyawWinofNew Star Light Co, U Aung Zaw Naing of Shwetaung Co, U Aung Min Thein of Shwe Thanlwin Co, U Myat Cho Win of Asia World Co, U Nay Win Kyaw of Thawdar Win Co and U Soe Naing of Aye Aye Khaing Co contributed K 100 million each to No.1 and No.2 BEHSs and Shwe Thanlwin presented one Sky Net receiver each to the two schools.
The Vice-President, while visiting 100-bed Katha People’s Hospital, viewed provision of medical treatment to patients and comforted them. He then heard reports on workforce of the hospital, outbreak rate of diseases and capacity of the hospital presented by the medical superintendent of the hospital.
The Vice-President then gave instructions on medical treatment, prevention and medical ethics. He said that the workload of the hospital is massive as the ratio of patients to doctors in the district is 6844:1. If the four necessities for curing-building, staff, medicine, and medical equipment such as diagnostic lab and X-ray room are available, curing can be carried out to some extent in public health care service.
Health care service is still needed for rural villages that are not in a position to meet those requirements.
Currently, there are over 26,000 doctors and only two third of them are actually engaging in health care field, which means the doctor-patient ratio is 1:3000.
Likewise, there have only been about 25,000 nurses and over 150,000 midwives and the number of doctors, nurses, midwives and health assistant is still low, far from ASEAN standard. It needs to take time to train and nurture a large number of specialized experts.
The new government is implementing 8-point rural development and poverty alleviation scheme as national level project and will have to seek ways and means to render medical service to rural villages included in the project.
To achieve that aim, it is advisable to train local youths who have a willing heart for health care services, only then systematic basic health care services can be provided to villages.
Furthermore, when they have certain experiences in basic health care services, they are to be given higher training courses both theoretical and practical by specialists. In this way, they can be made reliable health staff to the villages. Doing so would enhance the capacity of understaffed health care machinery in short time, taking preventive measures automatically.
Moreover, such works can be projected directly by region and state level health care machinery and local trainees will have fewer difficulties as courses will be opened at district hospitals. This measure is the practicable way for the moment even though it is not the best way to provide health care services down to villages.
But, it calls for systematic procedures and genuine goodwill.
Regarding the prevention, specialists of respective subjects are to effectively organize educative talks on seasonal communicable diseases, and root causes of non-pandemic diseases such as high blood pressure, heart attack, diabetes caused by the life-style of the country in addition to anti-malaria, TB and HIV campaigns.
It needs to notice that the relationship between doctors and patients has changed adversely due to weakness and ethical problems of some health staff.
Thus, health staff are to try to be dutiful, sticking to ethics, rules and regulations they have to follow.
Next, wellwishers donated K 30 million to the hospital-K 10 million to buy ultrasound, K 17.5 million to the medical fund of the hospital and K 2.5 million to buy operation equipment and Shwe Thanlwin two sets of Sky Net receivers.
The Vice-President then cordially greeted the doctors.