Japanese Government to help in fight against malaria, tuberculosis in HIV/AIDS in the greater Mekong region
Nine Myanmar graduates of medical training from the Mae Sai hospital received their certificates of completion on March 27 at a ceremony presided over by M.R.Disnadda Diskul, Secretary-General of Mah Fah Luang Foundation at the Princess Mother Commemorative Hall in Doi Tung Area, Mae Fah Luang district, Chiang Rai province. Mr. Masaki Tada, President of the Japan International Friendship and Welfare Foundation (JIFF) and Dr. Sura Khunkongkhapan, Director of Mae Sai Hospital were present at the ceremony.
This medical training at Mae Sai Hospital was the last of 12 sessions which started 2006 under the Project “Fight against Malaria, Tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS in the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS), Phases I, II, and III.” The three-phase project was implemented by JIFF in cooperation with the Mah Fah Luang Foundation and Mae Sai Hospital. The Government of Japan provided funds amounting to more than 20,000,000 Baht for the three-year project under the Grant Assistance for Japanese NGO Projects program.
Infectious disease control and prevention cannot be adequately dealt with by the individual efforts of a single country. It requires cooperation with neighboring countries and transnational efforts at the regional level. To address this issue, medical staff of JIFF and Mae Sai Hospital together provided the medical training for medical personnel from countries in the GMS, aiming at medical capacity development in the region. The number of personnel who participated in the training amounted to more than 100, among whom were nurses, medical technologists, X-ray technicians, and doctors from Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and Thailand.
In addition, the Government of Japan provided funds amounting to 1,744,650 Yen, or approximately 560,000 Baht in fiscal year 2009 for another JIFF project to transport used medical equipment from Japan to Thailand. The medical equipment will be utilized at hospitals, health centers, and schools in Northern Thailand.
It is expected that the medical personnel who participated in the training will contribute to an improvement of the medical services in their respective countries and promote further transnational efforts to fight infectious diseases in the GMS.
For more information on these project and others, please contact: Mr. Sato, Consul or Mr.Tsuda and Ms. Hoshii, Coordinators for GGP Consulate-General of Japan in ChiangMai: 053-203-367.
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