An Innovative Service Delivery Solution for Maternal and Neonatal Health in Burma

Burma is one of the poorest countries in Asia, and its per capita public investment in healthcare is amongst the lowest in the world. Burma's 55 million people rely heavily on unregulated private sector health services. Lack of access and prohibitive service costs preclude poor women and their children from accessing basic health services. Burma urgently needs cost-effective, scalable solutions to provide the continuum of care needed to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality.

PSI manages the internationally recognized Sun Quality Health (SQH) network of 1,500 franchised private clinics. Through this seed grant, PSI will create and pilot a unique, vertically integrated service delivery model, leveraging private sector entrepreneurship to reach poor women with affordable MNCH services.

PSI will develop and roll out a micro-franchise business model at village level, providing trained local entrepreneurs with a basket of subsidized MNCH products and services, including key behavior change communications. These entrepreneurs will also offer for sale vouchers providing pregnant women free, quality assured ANC and maternity services at SQH clinics (where PSI will reimburse provider costs). PSI will work with SQH doctors to upgrade selected clinics to provide basic EmOC services, and to facilitate referral to tertiary care, completing the continuum of care.

After a two year pilot, PSI will have established 100 micro-franchises delivering a range of services and referring women to five upgraded SQH clinics. The model will be evaluated for health impact and cost-effectiveness with a view to expansion in scale and scope.