One of the basic necessities in human life is to attain a disease free longevity in which health is a very important factor. In order to achieve this goal, the State and the Ministry of Health has laid down health policies and strategies for promissory development using every means that is applicable to the country and the people of Myanmar. The main aim of the health policies are directed towards living a full life, which is not only achieving longevity but also a disease-free productive life. The strategies to achieve these goals are: (1) disease prevention and control (2) prompt and effective treatment, and finally, (3) health education to the grass roots level.
The effort of every health personnel should not only have the ability to treat diseases but also towards giving health-related care on all aspects. Since the basic rule for health indicated that preventing disease and promoting health through educating people is better than treating diseases, all health personnel must have knowledge and experience in disease prevention and control, health promotion and education. In addition, health knowledge should not remain static but should also be improved, updated and must be able to impart this knowledge to newer generations.
To be able to effectively prevent and treat upcoming new diseases, one must have the ability to do research at the same time. As health personnel conduct basic research, they should also conduct scientific experiments on herbal medicine for their effective usage as compared to western medicine. For the effective health care delivery, the ability to formulate projects, conduct health systems research and drawing health plans is a must for all health personnel.

During frequent visits to various regions of the country and on meeting with the health personnel, the Head of State had many times given guidance as:
“Together with the development of human resource for health, other necessary requirements, including structural and material requirements are being fulfilled. If only Human Resource Development and Material Development are comparatively implemented hand in hand, the academic field of interest will be developed. In addition it is necessary that Research and Development are also carried out together.” “Human development plays the pivotal role for all developments, either arts or science, including the health sector, as it is impossible to upgrade the academic level without the human resource development. Because of the competencies and efficiencies of the health care specialists and physicians, Myanmar is well recognized in the field of health care”.
“For this reason, the State has initiated the upgrading of human resource for health which is needed for the country, through upgrading health institutions to university levels in various fields including medicine, dental medicine, pharmacy, medical technology, nursing, community medicine, public health and traditional medicine. In order to produce qualified personnel, occupational and work-related training courses leading to doctorates, masters and diploma courses are opened extensively while some have also been sent aboard for further studies.”
“Unheeded of the immense cost involved, the government has been carrying out the task, not only on upgrading the State and Divisional Hospitals as necessary, but also opening of new hospitals and clinics to enhance the standard of health care delivery and the uplift of the standard of health of the people purely out of the spirit of goodwill”.
To fulfill the guidance and the objectives, materials, human and technology development have been carried out with great momentum. The State Peace and Development Council Government had spent from 464.2 million Kyats in 1988 to 48017.3 million Kyats in 2007. The amount which has risen more than a hundred fold.
Trust funds are set up with donations for purchase of essential medicines at various hospitals at all levels. It now amounted to 3273.38 million Kyats.
In order to provide effective health coverage over the ever increasing human population and to narrow the health care gap between urban and rural areas, new hospitals, clinics, rural health centres. primary health centres and maternal and child health centres are opened throughout the country.

For the development of national races of border areas, 62 hospitals, 106 clinics, 62 rural health centres and 148 divisional rural sub centres are opened where never existed before.
The State has laid down the projects for the requirement of buildings, modern medicine, equipments, laboratories and operation theatres which are required to treat people more closely and for the treatment of reemerging diseases, infections diseases, new emerging diseases occurring nowadays.
The government needs modern medicine, equipment laboratories, operation theatres and other facilities for giving effective treatment in cure of infections diseases and others. Therefore it has laid down plans and is implementing them. The State had laid down projects to upgrade hospitals in states and divisions, districts and townships. A total of 167 hospitals were upgraded and equipped according to the grade of the hospitals.
The State had also included health infrastructure development in State sponsored special projects such as border area development project, rural area development project, special economic (24) zones project. As the State had constructed union highways, network roads linking between districts and townships and villages, railroads, large and small bridges, the communication in every part of the country is much improved and everybody is within the easy reach of health care facilities thus narrowing the gap between urban and rural areas. The construction of dams and water reservoirs for irrigation not only benefit the agriculture sector but also resulted in getting clean and safe water supply, regulating climate and preventing natural disasters such as floods and can prevent water borne diseases.
The world in current situation is facing the dangers of re-emerging diseases, highly infectious diseases and new diseases to which it needs to do health research for curative, control and education to counter these dangers. The Head of State had guided to construct two new medical research departments in Pyin-Oo-Lwin and Nay Pyi Taw at the same level with existing research department in Yangon realizing that competitive efforts among those departments will benefit the development of medical research. It also established two new facilities, National Poison Control Centre and National Blood Research Centre in Yangon according to the current needs of the country.
At the same time the state had laid down projects to equip the facilities with modern equipments according to their status. The State also formulates the special education uplifting project by using a huge amount of hard currencies. Realizing that the total health care needs qualified doctors, nurses and technicians new medical universities and nurses training schools were opened totaling (15) universities and (46) schools currently where only (6) universities and (26) schools existed before 1988. The graduates from these institutions were appointed and staffed at the various health care facilities so that the health manpower increases manifolds. Previously, the health personnel were sent abroad for doctorate courses but as of now, (37) doctorate courses and (20) master courses are being conducted at the medical universities.
At the same time affiliations with the foreign medical institutions are made to promote and acquire newer technologies. One of the fruitful results of the effort is the recognition by the World Health Organization to Yangon Nursing University as the WHO collaborating centre for nurses training.;
In this information technology era the world is rapidly changing and developing in every aspect. The health personnel need to know the rapidly changing developments and must be updated. To emphasize this, internet communications facilities, internet networking, electronic library services were installed for the health personnel and continuing medical education were conducted parallel.
The development of the material resources and human resources cumulated in public health promotion, medical care and medical research tremendously.