Myanmar version of this press release is available for download.

Professor Dr Pe Thet Khin, the Minister of Health formally launches 3MDG. Photo: Ne Lynn Aung

Yangon 25 September 2012 – An event was held at the Chatrium Hotel in Yangon, on 25 and 26 September, to review the past six years of the Three Diseases Fund (3DF) working to address HIV, tuberculosis and malaria, and to launch a new US$300 million programme the Three Millennium Development Goals fund (3MDG). The event was attended by the Minister of Health, the Funds’ seven donors, the Funds’ manager, the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and 3DF’s implementing partners. All expressed enthusiasm to build on the experience of 3DF to develop stronger health systems and to improve the health of mothers and young children in priority areas of Myanmar.

Speaking on behalf of the Three Diseases Fund (3DF) Board, Shaanti Sekhon from AusAID said, ‘3DF has provided us with a solid foundation for the future. An independent evaluation has found that 3DF reflected an impressive donor response in both scale and timing. It was the single largest contributor to address the three disease areas in Myanmar between 2007 and 2011’. Ms Sekhon continued, ‘Without the Fund, there would have been no way to meet the health needs of thousands of people in Myanmar. These achievements were only made possible through the dedication and commitment of the Ministry of Health, the 3DF Fund Management Office and the Fund’s partners who conducted health activities’.

In addition to supporting mothers, the 3MDG fund will help children under five get a good start in life. ©James Howlett/3DF/3MDG

YANGON 28 June 2011 – The seven donors who provided US$138 million to fight HIV and AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria under the Three Diseases Fund from 2006-12, have now promised US$300 million to improve the health of mothers and young children. Following a meeting this week with the Ministry of Health, the Three Millennium Development Goals Fund (3MDG) will develop a programme to offer health services to populations in Myanmar with the greatest need. The donors consist of the Governments of Australia, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom with the European Union.

The Fund Board of the 3 MDG Fund is pleased to invite interested INGO’s and National NGO’s to an information session on the 3MDG Fund.

The information session will be held at 2.30 pm, Wednesday 20 June 2012, at the Summit Parkview Hotel, 350 Ahlone Road, Dagon Township, Yangon.

3MDG’s Fund Board has made available the final draft of the ‘Description of Action - Multi Donor 3MDG Fund 2012-2016’.

Sai Phi Ha takes a drop of Yi Yi Pyone’s blood to test for malaria ©Shaanti Sekhon

24 April 2012 - A newly qualified malaria volunteer under the national malaria control programme and World Health Organization, Sai Phi Ha had to quickly get to work as soon as he qualified while high level observers looked on.

The 19 year old from Pathein in the Delta region had recently moved with his friends after his studies to work at the Min Tun rubber plantation outside of the large fishing town of Myiek in Thanintaryi region, south Myanmar. He saw that there was a high prevalence of malaria where he and his friends had moved to. He thought that taking a short course to be able to diagnose and treatment of confirmed malaria cases would be useful to help his friends and those living near him if they started getting ill.

Coincidently, during the five day course Sai Phi Ha was diagnosed with malaria. This generated a lot of enthusiasm amongst the training class and gave an opportunity to see positive tests from the rapid diagnosis test kits (RDTs) in action. For Sai Phi Ha, he was able to appreciate the symptoms of the disease first-hand.