The Global Health Group, of the University of California, San Francisco, released its Clinical Social Franchising Case Study Series on PSI\/Myanmar\u2019s Sun Quality Health franchise network. Sun Quality Health (SQH) is a network of private physicians that PSI\/Myanmar trains and monitors on reproductive health, tuberculosis, pneumonia, diarrhea, malaria and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.<\/p>\n
SQH utilizes existing general practitioners to provide high quality health services and products to low-income communities. PSI\/Myanmar also developed Sun Primary Health (SPH), a second tier comprised of rural village health workers, to increase the franchise\u2019s geographic coverage through increased rural penetration. In 2009, SQH and SPH together served 1.4 million clients.<\/p>\n
As of July 2010, PSI\/Myanmar had 1,169 SQH providers in 169 out of Myanmar\u2019s 325 townships, and 1,069 SPH providers in 45 townships. In each health area, PSI\/Myanmar provides SQH members with training, patient education materials, promotion, access to products, and supervision and monitoring. In return, the providers commit to service standards and a price structure that offers them small margins but ensures that the services are affordable to even the lowest-income populations. <\/p>\n
The case study encompasses qualitative research carried out in Myanmar by Global Health Group researchers in July 2010. <\/p>\n