SAC Vice-Chairman Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Commander-in-Chief (Army) Vice-Senior General Soe Win Attends Centennial Celebration of No.1 Military Hospital (700-Bed) and 30th Myanmar Tatmadaw Medical Conference

SAC Vice-Chairman Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Commander-in-Chief (Army) Vice-Senior General Soe Win Attends Centennial Celebration of No.1 Military Hospital (700-Bed) and 30th Myanmar Tatmadaw Medical Conference

The Opening Ceremony of the Cancer Radiation Treatment Ward Marking Centennial Celebration of No.1 Military Hospital (700-Bed), and the 30^th Myanmar Tatmadaw Medical Conference took place at the hospital in PyinOoLwin on 2 October. The Vice-Chairman of the State Administration Council (SAC) Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Commander-in-Chief (Army) Vice-Senior General Soe Win attended the event.

Also present at the ceremonies were Chief of the General Staff (Army, Navy and Air) General Maung Maung Aye, Union Minister for Health, Union Minister for Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement, senior military officers from the Office of the Commander-in-Chief, chief minister of Mandalay Region, retired senior officers and medics of the defence services medical services, officials from the ministry of health and invited guests.

First, the SAC Vice-Chairman Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services pressed the button to formally unveil the signboard commemorating the centenary ceremony of No.1 Military Hospital (700-bed) and the signboard of the Cancer Radiation Treatment Ward. Then, the Vice-Senior General and party viewed round the ward and provided foodstuffs to the patients receiving medical treatments.

The SAC Vice-Chairman Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Commander-in-Chief (Army) Vice-Senior General Soe Win delivered honourable remarks at the Opening Ceremony of the Cancer Radiation Treatment Ward Marking Centennial Celebration of No.1 Military Hospital (700-Bed), and the 30^th Myanmar Tatmadaw Medical Conference as follows:

· It is to be proud that the 30^th Medical Conference of the Defence Services disseminated its research activities of the medical services to the international community at the No.1 Defence Services Medical Hospital (700-bed) this year.

· In retrospect of the long history of the hospital, it was founded as the 25-bed British Military Hospital in PyinOoLwin in 1923 for British military officers only, according to official records. It was finally renamed as No.1 Defence Services Hospital (700-bed) in 2002.

· Although general treatment could be given when the hospital was founded, advanced treatments can be given step by step thanks to successive efforts.

· Distinctive performances of the hospital included the inauguration of the renal and urinal tract department in 1998, providing 19,250 blood purifications for more than 7,000 patients. It was also found that surgical operations were conducted on 9,930 bile gallstone patients including 1,194 patients who required gallstone removal surgery by the laparoscope.

· The department for heart diseases was opened in 2008 and tests have been conducted on 1,585 patients for performance of hearts and vasoconstriction and 355 vasoconstriction patients have been given treatments.

· As for the renal and urinary tract surgery a total of 1,974 patients have been given treatments including 38 patients who required renal transplantation. The department of brain and neurosurgery has conducted emergency neurosurgical operations on 781 patients successfully. The injury and orthopedic department has conducted surgical operations on 6,153 patients successfully including 2,684 major surgeries and 3,469 minor surgeries.

· The diagnosis department has conducted diagnosis tests on 12,248 patients including 7,669 patients by using CT Scans and 2,310 patients by MRI Scans.

· Moreover, the hospital has delivered 31,071 babies since it was founded and as it can help deliver the babies safely, it has been able to save numerous lives and help cultivate valuable offspring for the country.

· Research findings were applied in diagnostic measures, treatment and preventive arenas to benefit the Tatmadaw and the State. Especially, research findings obtained during the Covid-19 pandemic period could be utilized in prevention, searching and treatment measures, securing much success.

· The 30^th Myanmar Tatmadaw Medical Conference will be held under the title of “Enhancing Capacity of Tatmadaw Medical Professionals in Changes of Health System”.

· The papers and posters will feature AI technology, infectious and non-infectious diseases, nutrition research measures, transplantation of human organs, rehabilitation medical technology, advanced cancer therapies, and field medical coverage researches.

· Moreover, hospitals were upgraded for treatment of diseases. So far, four hospitals were upgraded to provide kidney transplant treatment, one hospital for liver transplant treatment, four hospitals for cardiovascular treatment, two hospitals for cardiac surgery and five more for gastro-intestinal treatment.

· After 1 February 2021, public health servants abandoned workplaces. So, number of health staff declined across the nation.

· Tatmadaw hospitals and battalions including No. 1 Military Hospital (700-bed) beefed up their capacity for providing health care to people instead of declining health staff. So far, they have treated 510,363 outpatients and 155,217 inpatients till September 2023.

· The Tatmadaw is striving to turn out human resources to serve duties at hospitals and units across the nation.

· So, DSMA, DSINPS and Tatmadaw medical training schools are producing medical doctors and nurses continuously. The Tatmadaw has conducted 16 post-graduate diploma courses, 27 masters of medical courses and 34 doctoral courses.

· As such, the Tatmadaw has produced 4,845 medical graduates, 89 dental degree, 590 diploma holders, 2,782 MMedsc graduates, 50 masters’ of dental medicine, and 421 doctoral degrees.

· Medical personnel were sent abroad to learn advanced medical education, and a total of 40 MMedSc degrees, 24 doctoral degrees and 227 royal physician degrees from international universities.

· Like DSMA, the Defence Services Institute of Nursing and Paramedical Science conducts seven nursing and medical diplomas, six nursing and medical postgraduate diplomas and three doctoral courses.

· As such, the institute has turned out 4,158 nursing and skilled staff, 526 postgraduate diploma holders, 641 master graduates and 30 doctoral degree holders.

· Moreover, nurses and skilled staff were sent to foreign countries and five trainees obtained master’s graduates and two doctoral degree holders.

· As radiation treatment requirements for cancer patients is gradually increasing, Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, since the time of taking duties of the Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services, installed Linear Accelerators (LA) and modern treatment buildings at military hospitals.

· Although such linear accelerators were used at No. 2 Military Hospital (500-bed) in Yangon and No. 2 Military Hospital (700-bed) in Aungban in the past, No. 1 Military Hospital (700-bed) in Pyin Oo Lwin can now give treatment to patients with the use of the similar machine.

· Moreover, there is a high-level radiation treatment machine called Cyber knife at No.2 Defence Services Hospital in the country. Today, four large hospitals will be able to provide complete cancer treatments, such as surgery, radiation treatment, and treatment with cancer drugs.

· Medical Services will see that public welfare medical services have been actively involved not only in normal times but also in times of natural disasters and the activities could be found in the cyclone Nargis that hit the country in 2008. In cyclone Giri in 2010 as well as in the floods that occurred in 2011, 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2020.

· After the cyclone Mocha broke out this year, two specialized medical teams and ten relief teams from the medical corps were sent to 8 townships in Rakhine State. They steadfastly took treatment and preventive measures for a total of 28,349 local people.

· Mobile medical services have been accelerated to help the public coordinate health care services. To do so, the Tatmadaw purchased six medical vehicles, a specialized laboratory vehicle, a marine hospital vessel, and a river-going hospital vessel.

· Medical Corps have also visited remote areas of Chin State and Naga Self-Administered Zone in the service of public welfare medical treatment.

· Since 2016, specialists and medical officers have been dispatched to those regions four times. And now, for the fourth time, 18 specialists/medical officers are providing healthcare for their national brethren.

· At the first time, there were 202,332 local people, 171,084 in the second, and 93,600 in the third, totalling 467,016.

· It indicates that effective healthcare has been provided and that the Tatmadaw is always taking precedence over the importance of the national people.

· Over the past 100 years, specialists, medical officers, nurses and other technicians from No.1 Defence Services Hospital (Bed-700) deserve praise and honour.

· Medical personnel need to make continued efforts to improve their capacity to provide healthcare and medical protection for Tatmadaw members and their families as well as the people while maintaining such good traditions.

After that, the Vice-Senior General presented a prize to a commemorative award-winning officer, and Chief of the General Staff (Army, Navy and Air) General Maung Maung Aye to a commemorative award-winning other rank. Then, the Director of Medical Services presented a commemorative gift to the Vice-Senior General.

Later, the Vice-Senior General cordially greeted the retired medical personnel in attendance and viewed the posters on the previous seminars, booths showing medicines and medical equipment and other commemorative booths marking the centenary ceremony of No.1 Defence Services Hospital (700-bed).

Source: Myawady Daily Newspaper (3-10-2023)