Human Resource Development: One-Year Diploma Course For Medical Engineering

With the support of Japan International Cooperation Agency - JICA, the Ministry of Health and Sports formulated the “Project for Human Resource Development of Medical Engineering” in 2018.

The project aims to establish maintenance system of medical equipment by strengthening human resources development system of Medical Engineering.

Under five-year project, both sides expect to upgrade the capacity of medical engineers by developing human resource for trainers and lecturers for sustainable training system through one year diploma courses yearly at the University of Medical Technology in Yangon.

Chief Representative, Japan International Cooperation Agency Myanmar Office, Masayuki KARASAWA said “Now we start Training of the trainers for the training, first batch has already almost completed. Later, those trainers together with the Japanese experts will train many medical engineers. So we expect to increase such well-trained medical engineers. Then they join team health services with the doctors and nurses for the hospital operation.”

This one year course includes not only lecture but also practical session at selected hospitals in Yangon with the supervision of Japanese Professors.

The Project Coordinator pointed out that the country needs many medial engineers who can repair, manage and control medical equipment since it has to use a lot of equipment for every operation.

Project Coordinator, Project for Human Resource Development of Medical Engineering, Prof. Dr. Myo Thu Zar Khin said “Everyone who is working under the Ministry of Health and Sports are eligible to attend this one year diploma course. Currently, a total of 18 students including 6 engineers, 8 nurses, 3 medical imaging technologists and 1 medical laboratory technologist are studying here as a second batch under the supervision of the experts from Myanmar and Japan.  I hope these trainees could contribute their efforts to the needy places of the country’s health sector.”

Medical Engineering is the specialist having both medical and engineering knowledge, who checks and monitors medical equipment to make sure it's working properly and is safe to use in hospital.

Trainee, Aung Myint Myat said “The reason why I joined this one year diploma course is to get to know the knowledge of medical engineering and to apply them in my carrier because I have been working under the Ministry of Health and Sports since 2016. I hope I could get medical knowledge how to maintain and repair medical equipment for the safety of the patients.”

The Ministry of Health and Sports has committed to achieve the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by 2030, and has been focusing to supply modernized medical equipment in hospitals throughout the country to offer good medical services for the people of Myanmar.

The Japanese Government and JICA contribute for UHC throughout its ODA operation worldwide as Japan has achieved UHC in 1961, which is the basis for being developed Country. 

Senior Representative, Japan International Cooperation Agency Myanmar Office, Nobuo IWAI said “Our final future goal is to support the UHC (Universal Health Coverage) by 2030. This is one of automatic goal of MOHS, so we are supporting such UHC activities in line with human resource development and as you can see the infrastructure of the hospital and also we are supporting many kind of institutional development for the medical health.”

Japan has been cooperating for development of Myanmar's health sector by supporting for health system strengthening, human resource development for health and infectious diseases control since 1977.