Brief

Progress towards Centers of Excellence for Breastfeeding in Myanmar

30 Sep 21
Topic(s): Breastfeeding
Location: East Asia Pacific
Language(s): English
Audience: Policy makers and legislators, Program designers and implementers
Organization: Alive & Thrive
Programs: Policy advocacy
Downloadable PDF(s)
  1. Attachment Size
    Myanmar COE Brief 1.05 MB

As a result of the illegal coup d’état by the Myanmar military on February 1st, 2021, the country is now facing a humanitarian crisis, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and characterized by significantly increased food and fuel prices, drastically reduced access to basic health services, a nationwide cash shortage, and a substantial increase in armed conflict and internal displacement. An estimated 200,000 civil servants have gone on strike as a part of the Civil Disobedience Movement, among whom 17,000 are healthcare workers. Local reports indicate that an estimated 300 out of 1,200 hospitals in the country are completely closed due to the healthcare worker strike and occupation of hospitals by the military. This brief shares progress made toward improving breastfeeding and early essential newborn care (EENC) services in Myanmar’s leading hospitals prior to the coup and proposes a way forward for ensuring that caregivers can continue to access essential maternal, infant, and young child nutrition (MIYCN) information and services, both online and in person, during the current crisis and beyond.

 
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