PSI Myanmar works to demonstrate how the private sector can help make universal healthcare a reality. PSI Myanmar runs various initiatives, including pilots for social health insurance delivery at PSI Myanmar’s Sun Quality Health clinics, expanding access to self-administered injectable contraceptives in remote and rural areas and using digital and social media as tools for good.
No. 16, West Shwe Gone Dine 4th Street
Bahan Township, Yangon
Phone: + 95-1-375854-58, 375878-79
[email protected]
PSI Myanmar was founded in 1995 to focus on HIV prevention and quickly expanded into reproductive health and treatment for sexually transmitted infections. In 2001, malaria prevention products were added to its portfolio, which has now grown to include pneumonia, diarrhea and malaria treatment. PSI Myanmar is based in the former capital of Myanmar and the country’s commercial center, Yangon, and has seven smaller project offices across the country.
In 2018, PSI Myanmar reached 2,136,728 people with its products and services, which include:
541,542
users reached with modern contraception
1,366,851
users reached with malaria testing
5,690
people living with HIV put on antiretroviral therapy
12,723
people cured of tuberculosis
179,551
non-communicable disease screenings
In May 2019, the government of Myanmar finalized a health financing strategy that set out pathways for transforming how the government pays for and delivers quality primary health care and sexual and reproductive health services under the vision set out in its National Health Plan (2017-2021) to achieve universal health coverage by 2030. The health financing strategy will support the roll-out of an essential package of health services that includes the continuum of care for reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health, as well as nutrition, to be delivered through a wide range of state and non-state health providers.
In support of this initiative, PSI Myanmar is piloting a new payment system with its providers at Sun Quality Health Clinics in Yangon and Chin State, which determines fees based on the number of clients served instead of the previous fee-for-service payment model. With this model, the pilot aims to create the healthcare conditions and systems that are necessary to create a national strategic purchasing body, while demonstrating how this model can motivate qualified health service providers outside the public sector to deliver quality-assured services for under-served communities to fulfill their basic healthcare and reproductive health needs.
PSI Myanmar’s HIV and sexually transmitted infection program, called the Targeted Outreach Program (TOP), is a comprehensive model that addresses the health and well-being of low-income populations that are at risk of infection. It offers a package of services for the prevention, care, treatment and support of HIV positive persons, as well as those at risk of HIV infection.
TOP is the largest community-led intervention in Myanmar. In 2018, the project reached more than 22,000 female sex workers and 22,000 men who have sex with men and performed nearly 30,000 HIV tests for most-at-risk populations. The program also operates 10 drop-in centers for female sex workers and men who have sex with men, which provide an extensive range of free clinical services, including counseling, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, HIV, TB and other opportunistic infections, as well as reproductive health services.
In addition to TOP, PSI Myanmar distributes six condom types under the brand Aphaw (meaning “companion”). In 2018, it sold more than 7.8 million condoms through the private sector, accounting for 60% of the commercial condom market.
PSI Myanmar is at the forefront of Myanmar’s national malaria elimination effort. It targets populations that are most vulnerable to contracting malaria, providing quality case management, behavior change communication, applied operational research and innovative surveillance solutions.
Health impact and quality malaria case management are achieved through four primary channels:
In 2018, through PSI Myanmar’s comprehensive network of malaria health providers, more than 650,000 febrile cases were tested and more than 11,500 confirmed cases were treated.
In October 2012, PSI Myanmar began to work in the informal sector to replace monotherapy—therapy that only uses one type of treatment for malaria—with access to quality combination treatment. Availability of quality combination treatments increased from 4% in 2012 to 52% in 2018 among non-formal private sector providers. And monotherapy decreased from 67% in 2012 to 5% in 2018 among targeted non-formal private sector providers.
In 2013, PSI Myanmar conducted a pilot in six townships to determine the plausibility of using rapid diagnostic tests in the private sector to diagnose malaria. The results of this pilot informed the strategy a nationwide scale-up for these tests among informal outlets, such as pharmacies, travelling drug vendors and general retail stores. The scale-up is expected to reduce drug waste, alleviate the risk of resistance to artemisinin-based combination therapy (the gold standard for malaria treatment) and improve overall case management practices.
For more than a decade, PSI Myanmar has provided a wide range of sexual and reproductive health products and services to women across the country through its network of private health providers, village health workers and pharmacies. In partnership with the government and local organizations, PSI Myanmar continues to increase access to quality short- and long-term contraceptive methods to women who need them and to build the capacity of the private sector in more than 200 townships to offer contraceptive products. In 2001, when PSI Myanmar started its Sun Quality Health social franchise network, the contraceptive prevalence rate in Myanmar was 37%. At the time, the provision of contraception in Myanmar’s private sector was very limited, and most sexual and reproductive health services were provided through public health centers and government extension workers–and only to married women in very few areas. By 2015, the contraceptive prevalence rate in Myanmar had increased to 51.3%. PSI Myanmar’s programming provides modern contraceptives to more than 500,000 people each year.
In 2018, PSI Myanmar also began working with the Ministry of Health and Sport to introduce a new injectable contraceptive, DMPA-SC (also known as Sayana® Press). Since its introduction, 1,579 units of DMPA-SC have been distributed in remote and rural areas.
In response to the rising mortality rate from cervical cancer, PSI Myanmar has piloted a cervical cancer prevention program. In the program, women of reproductive age are screened using a low-cost, but highly effective method: visual inspection with acetic acid. If the visual inspection reveals pre-cancerous lesions, the client is referred for appropriate treatment and follow-up.
PSI Myanmar provides TB diagnosis and directly observed short-course treatment, the international standard of care for TB treatment. TB medications are available free of charge from select Sun Quality Health private provider clinics throughout Myanmar. To further promote active case detection, community health workers refer suspected cases to nearby Sun Quality Health clinics and serve as observers to ensure that clients adhere to treatment. Providers are also encouraged to initiate testing and counseling to increase the number of suspected and confirmed TB cases that go on to be tested for HIV.
PSI Myanmar also leverages the active detection rate for cases of TB in urban slums through interpersonal communication and 2,500 pharmacies.
In 2018, nearly 100,000 individuals with suspected tuberculosis were screened for the disease. Of the cases that were screened, 14,600 cases were registered for treatment at Sun Quality Health clinics and more than 4,700 cases were registered at public clinics. Altogether, PSI Myanmar addressed 14.3% of Myanmar’s national TB burden.
A total of 13,691 individuals with suspected TB were also tested for HIV in 2018. Four percent of these cases tested positive.
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With overarching commitments to flexibility in our work, and greater wellbeing for our employees, we want to ensure PSI is positioned for success with a global and holistic view of talent. Under our new “work from (almost) anywhere,” or “WFAA” philosophy, we are making the necessary investments to be an employer of record in more than half of U.S. states, and consider the U.S. as one single labor market for salary purposes. Globally, we recognize the need to compete for talent everywhere; we maintain a talent center in Nairobi and a mini-hub in Abidjan. PSI also already works with our Dutch-based European partner, PSI Europe, and we’re creating a virtual talent center in the UK.
PSI is firmly committed to the meaningful engagement of young people in our work. As signatories of the Global Consensus Statement on Meaningful Adolescent & Youth Engagement, PSI affirms that young people have a fundamental right to actively and meaningfully engage in all matters that affect their lives. PSI’s commitments aim to serve and partner with diverse young people from 10-24 years, and we have prioritized ethics and integrity in our approach. Read more about our commitments to the three core principles of respect, justice and Do No Harm in the Commitment to Ethics in Youth-Powered Design. And read more about how we are bringing our words to action in our ICPD+25 commitment, Elevating Youth Voices, Building Youth Skills for Health Design.
PSI works to ensure that its operations and supply chains are free from slavery and human trafficking. Read more about this commitment in our policy statement, endorsed by the PSI Board of Directors.
Since 2017, PSI has been a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact, a commitment to align strategies and operations with universal principles of human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption. Read about PSI’s commitment to the UN Global Compact here.
The health of PSI’s consumers is inextricably linked to the health of our planet. That’s why we’ve joined the Climate Accountability in Development as part of our commitment to reducing our greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent by 2030. Read about our commitment to environmental sustainability.
PSI does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, marital status, genetic information, disability, protected veteran status or any other classification protected by applicable federal, state or local law. Read our full affirmative action and equal employment opportunity policy here.
PSI is committed to establishing and maintaining a work environment that fosters harmonious, productive working relationships and encourages mutual respect among team members. Read our policy against discrimination and harassment here.
PSI is committed to serving all health consumers with respect, and strives for the highest standards of ethical behavior. PSI is dedicated to complying with the letter and spirit of all laws, regulations and contractual obligations to which it is subject, and to ensuring that all funds with which it is entrusted are used to achieve maximum impact on its programs. PSI provides exceptionally strong financial, operational and program management systems to ensure rigorous internal controls are in place to prevent and detect fraud, waste and abuse and ensure compliance with the highest standards. Essential to this commitment is protecting the safety and well-being of our program consumers, including the most vulnerable, such as women and children. PSI maintains zero tolerance for child abuse, sexual abuse, or exploitative acts or threats by our employees, consultants, volunteers or anyone associated with the delivery of our programs and services, and takes seriously all complaints of misconduct brought to our attention.
PSI affirms its commitment to diversity and believes that when people feel respected and included they can be more honest, collaborative and successful. We believe that everyone deserves respect and equal treatment regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, cultural background or religious beliefs. Read our commitment to diversity and inclusion here. Plus, we’ve signed the CREED Pledge for Racial and Ethnic Equity. Learn more.
PSI affirms gender equality is a universal human right and the achievement of it is essential to PSI’s mission. Read about our commitment to gender equality here.
From ministries of health to regulatory bodies and purchasers, we partner with private and public sector players to provide seamless health services to consumers – no matter their entry point to care.
Across 40+ countries, we scale digital solutions that make it easier for people to take ownership of their own health, and health systems to use resources efficiently and increase health impact.
We support health systems in shaping the policy and regulatory environment for self-care interventions and ensuring self-care is included as an essential part of healthcare services.
