Pyitthu Hluttaw discusses plans to ensure health of students

March 7, 2018

The Union Minister for Health and Sports Dr. Myint Htwe answered numerous health-related questions in yesterday’s meeting of the Pyithu Hluttaw in Nay Pyi Taw.

The Union Minister said that his ministry will look into whether the ministry owns any plot of land for a sports stadium and a Red Cross to be built in Namhsan City, Shan State, in response to U Htay Lwin from Namhsan Constituency. The Union Minister replied to U Lu Htae Han of Laukkai Constituency that they are working to quickly send a child specialist, a midwife and a physician to Laukkai in northern Shan State by the second week of March. The Union Minister then answered to U Aung Sein of Dawei Constituency in Tanintharyi Region that currently the ministry cannot send additional medical staff to Dawei General Hospital for upgrading it to a 500-bed hospital.

The Bill Committee and MPs then put forward a motion to amend the Myanmar Dental Council Bill. Speaker U Win Myint then announced that the bill will be put on record for interested MPs to discuss. Next, the bill committee put forward a motion to discuss the bill for the Myanmar Historian Association Bill, which will be put on record for further discussions.

This was followed by 15 MPs discussing a motion by Dr. Aye Zin Latt of Shwe Bo Constituency urging the Union Government to create a long term strategic plan with the Ministry of Health and Sports and other respective ministries to draft a national policy to include sports activities in school curriculums and to allot a suitable amount of the national budget annually for the initiative.

Daw Aye Mya Mya Myo of Kyauktan Constituency said that to ensure school canteens sell only healthy foods, it requires preventing unhealthy foods from entering the marketplace. She said that authorities need to consider the number of students when constructing a school building so that is can accommodate an adequate number of restrooms, washrooms and a big enough water supply. She also said schools need to give education on harmful side effects of drugs and alcohol and to ensure that they are not easily accessible by students within the school’s perimeters.

Tatmadaw representative Major Htin Lin Oo said the Union Government should adopt the Focusing Resources on Effective School Health (FRESH) framework developed by WHO, UNICEF, UNESCO and the World Bank and launched at the Dakar Education Forum in 2000.

Union Minister Dr. Myint Htwe said there are three priorities set that support this motion, namely raising public health awareness, school health awareness and obstetrical or maternity health awareness. He said that in the year 2016-2017 his ministry has conducted health inspections for 44,000 schools out of 45,000, completed construction of 88 per cent of restrooms for the schools, completed 67 per cent of nutritional development goals, and given 30 per cent of the school health education programs. The Union Minister said he will approve the motion so that a suitable budget can be allotted to the

ministry after the Hluttaw’s approval.

The Pyithu Hluttaw then approved of the motion and the Speaker announced the next meeting will be held on 9 March.

Aye Aye Thant, MNA

Ref; The Global New Light of Myanmar