Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading cause of global mortality. Hypertension — persistently elevated blood pressure — is the single most important risk factor for cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death due to non-communicable diseases. Up to a third of adults in Myanmar are estimated to be living with hypertension, but many are either unaware of their condition or unable to receive consistent care due to cost, availability, and other barriers to access.
PSI works with key partners in Myanmar to provide consumers with access to affordable care for NCDs and their major risk factors, which include hypertension. These partnerships have enabled PSI-affiliated Sun Clinic Health Franchises across the country to offer health education and affordable primary health care services, extending care to vulnerable populations and supporting Myanmar’s goal to achieve Universal Health Coverage for the entire population by 2030.
Check out this video, created in partnership with BBC StoryWorks as part of their “Turning the Tide” series, to follow the stories of U Sein Than and Daw Aye Myint, two patients of the Sun Clinic in Shwepyitha Township. They’ve both benefited from PSI’s Primary Healthcare project, which has brought them affordable care for hypertension within walking distance of their homes.
From 2017 to 2019, PSI collaborated with a prominent biopharmaceutical company to address these issues through Healthy Communities, a project designed to identify and address market barriers to hypertension care. PSI Myanmar is building on the innovations that Healthy Communities created in clinical and patient support and is working with private-sector health providers to deliver quality essential services — including those for hypertension and other NCDs — to underserved communities. The Strategic Purchasing Pilot is establishing a system to reduce out-of-pocket payments and financial risk of receiving care while building the capacity of the sector to provide quality-assured primary health care and is contributing to the Government of Myanmar’s objective of achieving universal health coverage by 2030.
