Support Backpack Healthworker Teams in Burma

BHM’s Program Outcome evaluation allows us to assess the enduring value of the Backpack Medics we support. 

By assessing outcomes, we gain an appreciation of the impact – lives improved and lives potentially saved. 

For instance, reducing morbidity (illness) rates translates to both improved lives and fewer deaths. If you do not get sick with malaria, you cannot die from malaria. 

Baseline numbers reflect historical averages for morbidity and mortality as international health organizations have documented for areas without access to medical care or backpack medics. 

Malaria 

Malaria has historically been a painful and often lethal illness for Burma’s ethnic minorities. 

When the Backpack Medics began operations in the late 1990s, they lacked malaria test kits available in developed countries. In 2005, they began using Para Check rapid diagnosis test kits to confirm Plasmodium Falciparum (Pf) malaria. Since 2014, Backpack Medics gained access to SD Bioline test kits – which can discern both Pf and Plasmodium Vivax (Pv) malaria. 

However, throughout their existence, Backpack medics have not had sufficient test kits to meet the demand. 

Nonetheless, Backpack Medics have had success in decreasing the number of malaria cases. The percent of the population the Backpack Medics serve have seen a steady decline in cases: 

• 2002 -- 13% 
• 2008 -- 7.9% 
• 2013 -- 2.3% 
• 2023 -- 0.8% (as of mid-year) 

Given the historical malaria morbidity rate (13%), the 120,327 villagers supported by BHM could have had 15,642 people suffer from malaria. 

In the first half of 2023, medics treated 480 malaria patients – 15,162 fewer people than expected! 

The World Health Organization identified that 100% of Malaria Pf patients die without medicine and 20% who receive medical care do not survive. Backpack Medics treated 193 Pf patients – with no deaths reported.  The Backpack Medics follow the WHO’s anti-malarial protocol for Artemisinin based Combination Therapy.

Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) 

• Given the historical IMR, one could expect 54 of the 4.3 newborns not to survive. In the first half of 2023, we are very fortunate with 0 infant deaths among our medic teams. 
• The loss of any newborn remains a tragedy we are committed to eliminating.
  
  

These are our objectives for ancillary support of BPHWT in 2023.  These include educating the children of fielded medics and support team and training new medics, with an emphasis on female medics.  It also includes nutritional support for pregnant women in Burma.

Objective 1:  Support backpack medics’ children

• Metric:  54 boys and girls, children of the Backpack Medic Team, aged 4 through 18, attended schol and completed a year’s study.

Objective 2:  Support backpack medics’ children with food support

• Metric:  54 children, aged 4 through 18, received basic nutritional support for 12 months
• This support included:

o   648 12 kg bags of rice

o   648 1 liter of cooking oil

o   648 0.5 kg bags of beans

o   128 kg of chicken meat (added to effort)

Objective 3:  Support 14 new female medics in basic medic training

• Metric:  

o   14 18 female medics started training in May 2021 

o   14 18 female medics graduated from medic training in December 2022

o   14 18 newly trained female medics were deployed to backpack medic teams throughout Burma in February 2023

Objective 4:  Support pregnant women in isolated villages and internally displaced person camps with nutritional support

• Metric

o   36 44 backpack medic teams were provided with supplemental eggs, tomatoes, beans, and cooking oil

• 4,320 5,400 dozen eggs
• 4,320 5,400 dozen tomatoes
• 4,320 5,400 1 kg bags of beans
• 4,320 5,400 1 liter bottles of cooking oil

o   On average, 30 pregnant women over 44 backpack medic operating areas were provided supplemental food to counter the risk of anemia and malnutrition in order to avert food insecurity issues and provide for healthier newborns.  1,250 pregnant women gained access to the food supplements – 250 more than the 1,080 planned due to an increase in the grant funding.

1. Provide us with the number of beneficiaries as well as the geographical areas served by this project.

• 54 school age children living in Mae Sot Thailand.  These boys and girls are children of backpack medics
• 14 18 young women attending medic training at REDACTED for privacy.
• 1,080 1,250 pregnant women in internally displaced person camps and isolated villages in REDACTED for privacy, Burma (all locations of intense Burma army attacks).