Support Backpack Healthworker Teams in Burma

In 2019, Burma Humanitarian Mission supported Backpack Medics operating in isolated regions of Burma where the Burma Army continues to wage an aggressive campaign against the country’s ethnic minorities.

For over 7 decades, Burma’s ethnic minorities have endured oppression.  As part of a community-based response, the ethnic minority groups formed backpack medic teams to care for their own.

• Men and women are recruited from among the villages they will serve.
• Medics undergo a 9-month training program before joining a seasoned team.
• Teams consist of 3-5 medics and travel among 9-12 isolated villages or IDP camps each month.

In 2019, BHM’s backpack medic teams:

-       Supported a population of 78,183 people

-       Treated 23,722 patients

-       Delivered 1,116 babies

-       Trained 22 new medics

-       Provided 1,858,282 doses of medicine and supplements

-       Provided 10,151 de-worming treatments to children

-       Provided 10,863 vitamin A treatments to children

-       Achieved an Infant Mortality Rate of 2.7 deaths per 1,000 births – down from 135 deaths per 1,000 births from the baseline year of 2002-2003.

-       Achieved a Maternal Mortality Rate of 1.6 deaths per 1,000 births – down from 7.2 deaths per 1,000 births from the baseline year of 2002-2003.

Backpack Medics focus on three core programs:

• Medical Care Program (MCP) – providing responsive medical care to treat injuries, illnesses and disease.
• Mother-Child Health Program (MCHP) – providing ante-, delivery and post-partum care.
• Community Health Education and Prevention Program (CHEPP) – provide community education and materials to reduce likelihood of disease and promote healthy environments (via clean water, sanitation, etc).