A GROUP of 38 government doctors newly appointed to the Health Department’s Public Health division have undergone a training course to teach them to promote healthy life styles.

The course, provided by department, was also aimed at giving the doctors a better understanding of major public health problems, said the division’s director, Dr San Shway Wynn.

The three-day course began on July 4 and was held at the Health Professionals Training School in Dagon township.

Another objective of the course was to introduce the doctors to the different nature of the work at the division, which focused more on prevention and promoting public health than on treatment, said Dr San Shway Wynn.

He said the doctors needed to be aware that the results of public health promotion were slow to realise.

“The job they used to do at hospitals was giving treatment and the results are immediate, but promoting healthy life styles takes time,” he said.

The course used an integrated approach to train participants in maternal and child health, school health and nutrition programs, he said.

“This integrated approach will help to ensure that doctors are more effective in assisting basic health staff, supervision and monitoring public health programs when they are assigned to positions in state and divisional health offices,” Dr San Shway Wynn said.

He told Myanmar Times that the main public health issues in Myanmar were poor hygiene, protein deficiency and rising maternal and infant mortality rates.
The increase in the mortality rates was one of the reasons why it was important to raise basic health care standards, Dr San Shway Wynn said.

He also highlighted the importance of promoting hygiene in school health programs, such as washing hands before and after meals and using the toilet.
“Better hygienic practices among school children need further promotion through the use of multimedia and activities held as part of National Sanitation Week,” Dr San Shway Wynn said.

Studies by the Ministry of Health show that 30 per cent of schools in Myanmar still need access to safe drinking water and clean toilets.

The division’s nutrition department is also doing research and campaigns to tackle malnutrition, Dr San Shway Wynn said.

He urged the trainees to work closely with colleagues at the central level and with local authorities.

“Public health work can not be done alone. It needs strong coordination to achieve its targets,” Dr San Shway Wynn said.