Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 23, 2026

Mechanical Ventilation Boot Camp Curriculum
Published on: March 12, 2018
Capacity building for emergency care: Training the first emergency specialists in Myanmar
Georgina Ann Phillips1, Zaw Wai Soe, James Han Boon Kong
1Emergency Department, St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Objectives:
The Myanmar Ministry of Health has formed a partnership with Australasian professional colleges and international medical specialists to deliver a comprehensive programme for emergency care training and development. We describe this programme, emphasising the training of the first emergency specialists for Myanmar.
Methods:
Eighteen junior specialists (EM18) joined a new postgraduate diploma in emergency medicine (Dip EM) through the University of Medicine (1) (UM1), Yangon. Diploma content included an introductory course, clinical rotations, 2 months in the emergency receiving centre (ERC) of the Yangon General Hospital (YGH) supervised by a volunteer Australasian emergency physician (FACEM), several short courses and an educational visit to Hong Kong. Curriculum and assessments comprising written and oral exams were devised and delivered by volunteer FACEMs and Hong Kong specialists.
Results:
All EM18 completed the 18 month programme and passed the final assessments to graduate in February 2014. Course strengths included the supervised clinical rotation to the ERC and short course teaching on emergency medical, surgical, trauma, paediatric and disaster topics. The educational visit to Hong Kong enabled the EM18 to visualise more advanced EM systems that could be adapted to the Myanmar context. The participating international clinicians provided expert strategic advice on ED design, staffing, equipment, nursing and pre-hospital systems to leaders within universities, hospitals and the Ministry of Health.
Conclusion:
The first Myanmar postgraduate diploma in EM provides an example of collaborative and responsive clinical health capacity building in a context of very limited resources.
Related Concept Videos
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation III: AED Use
Specialized Care Centers and Settings-II
Rural health centers are specialized care facilities in remote locations with very few medical personnel. The primary care providers who run the centers are mostly Registered Nurse Practitioners. Here, emergency treatment is provided to critically ill or injured patients before they are transferred to the closest hospital. Fortunately, due to advancement in technology, many rural healthcare facilities and professionals have easy access to diagnostic and treatment...
Introduction Cardiac Emergencies
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation V: Advanced Airway Management Techniques
Specialized Care Centers and Settings-I
Daycare centers
They provide several functions. Some facilities care for healthy newborns and children whose parents work, while others are medically focused and care for...
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation II: ACLS Airway Management

