MCA Partners with the U.S. Air Force, MAF and other international organizations to Address Mongolian Health

Moving Toward a Healthier Mongolia


The Health Project of the Millennium Challenge Account Mongolia (MCA-M), invited by the U.S. Air force, took part in an international health service outreach mission from July 18 to July 23, 2011. Participating organizations included the U.S. Air Force, the Millennium Challenge Account, the Mongolian Armed Forces, the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) and the nongovernmental organization, Project Hope.

Four health services (dentistry, optometry, general medicine and gynecology) were offered in four locations in the Khentii aimag - Ondorkhaan, Tsenkhermandal, Delgerkhaan and Jargalkhaan- three of which are soums, allowing residents of the smaller and more remote areas to access health care.


Along with medical care, complimentary prescriptions, multivitamins, sunglasses, eyeglasses and toothbrushes were distributed as needed.


The MCA-M Health Project staff conducted trainings on NCDI risk factors, with hypertension and its causes dominating the question and discussion component. Participants asked many questions and were eager to learn. The trainings took place at all four locations, amounting to at least 1,000 people trained.



Health Service Delivery

Women, children and men showed up for medical attention. It is estimated that around 4,300 people were treated.




Due to the high demand for services, Kherlen, a 49 year-old women, arrived at the Ondorkhaan hospital at 4:00 am to ensure she received a check-up.


Kherlen saw a general practitioner, eye doctor and gynecologist. And on her third day, as a result of her positive experience earlier in the week, she brought her mother for a general check-up too. Kherlen was pleased with the quality of the service and declared that the doctors, “took sufficient time on her and their diagnosis.” Another participant, Shine Bayar (pictured below), a 12 year-old girl, stated, “I got sick often this year with headaches and dizziness,” and decided to attend this event after she “heard from her parents that doctors from the army were here.” Shine was informed that she was healthy, but going through puberty. To ensure her continued health, the doctors prescribed her multivitamins, toothpaste and other supplements.


In some cases participant were notified not only of their condition, but also of the need for regular medical help. Monponsukh, a man from Moron soum, was diagnosed with kidney stones, a previous condition that was left untreated. This time, he reported that he was given free medicine, instructed on its usage, and advised to continue monitoring his condition with a doctor. At his last doctor’s appointment a few years ago, he had not been alerted to the need for continued medical supervision or possible causes of his kidney stones.

Post-Naadam EEP Update

Hi Everybody,

Everyone here at MCC/MCA Mongolia is getting back to work after returning from their week-long Naadam celebrations and vacations. Naadam is Mongolia's biggest holiday, involving competitions in the fields of archery, horse-racing, and wrestling, and this year UB played host another successful and festive Naadam.

Prior to Naadam, I got the chance to travel to the 12th Khoroo of the Chingeltei district in UB in order to visit one of the Energy and Environment Project's product distribution centers and talk to some ger district residents who have benefited from the fuel-efficient products. The center has distributed ger insulators, fuel-efficient stoves, and fuel-efficient vestibules. In addition, the EEP project has worked with UNDP to help ger district residents fund and build energy-efficient homes. Each of the products and projects are aiming to combat the rising levels of air pollution in UB, while also making heating more affordable for ger district residents. We visited people who have benefited from each of the Energy and Environment project's products. Here are their stories:

We first visited Ms. Khandkhuu, who was forced to sell all of her families belongings when her son fell ill. After he recovered, they bought a ger insulator and a fuel-efficient vestibule from their khoroo’s product center. Their resulting savings in fuel, from from 4-5 tonnes to only 2 per year, gave them enough extra savings to buy a new television and new, better wood for their ger’s frame. B. Khandkhuu said that her family is planning to invest in a fuel-efficient stove after Naadam and before the weather turns cold and said she was worried about the rising levels of pollution in Ulaanbaatar. The savings they receive from the increased efficiency of these products provides further incentives She expressed her gratitude toward the Energy and Environment project’s work and stated that she hopes others in Ulaanbaatar will follow suit and buy more environmentally-friendly products.


We then visited a fuel-efficient home in the 12th Khoroo. Ms. Tsendsuren purchased a fuel-efficient home for her family as a part of a cooperative arrangement between UNDP and the Millennium Challenge Corporation. Before this home, she had always lived in gers. In total, she was given 9 million TMN in financial assistance from the cooperating partners, one of which is the Millennium Challenge Corporation, which enabled her to afford the newly built house. The new home has hot and cold running water, uses a fraction of the fuel she previously used in heating, and gives her enough space to work from home, where she has started a business making Mongolian traditional clothing.


Finally, we visited Mr. Magsarjav, a Mongolian film star who has been using one of the Energy and Environment project’s fuel-efficient stoves longer than anyone else in Mongolia. He claims he now can fill it with fuel, go to sleep, and his house stays warm until morning, allowing him to sleep through the night and, according to B. Magsarjav, making his neighbors very envious. He boasted that his neighbors did not believe how little fuel he had to use or how little smoke was emitted until he brought them to his house and let them see it for themselves.


The visits were a great way to see the EEP's progress and success in action. New product centers are being opened to widen the distribution of these products to more residents of Ulaanbaatar, and it is hoped that this winter will see 60,000 new fuel-efficient stoves being sold to Mongolian residents.

MCA Mongolia Funds New Masters of Public Health Program

On July 6, 2011 in Ulaanbaatar City, Mongolia, a host of people, including the Vice Minister of Health, the U.S. Ambassador to Mongolia, the Millennium Challenge Corporation Mongolian Resident Director, the Millennium Challenge Account Health Project Director and 36 masters of public health candidates, gathered for the opening ceremony of a newly established public health training program. The ceremony introduced the program, featured speeches from the aforementioned parties and had an enjoyable intermission that included flute playing and throat singing.




The MPH program, funded by a grant from the MCA M’s Health Project, is designed to move Mongolia from a treatment-oriented approach to medicine to a preventative-oriented approach to medicine. Due to the rise in non-communicable disease incidences, curative medicine is no longer economically viable. Implementation of the new masters of public health is being conducted in partnership with SPH HSUM and George Washington University. The funds are being put toward public health curriculum improvement, guided by George Washington University, and a one-year intensive public health training program for 36 existing physicians. The program is 50 percent classroom work and 50 percent fieldwork. The fieldwork is to be completed in candidates’ home regions, where they will collect data and analyze their local NCDI environment. Small grants will be given for operationalization of local public health improvement projects. Participants are required to publish one to two papers and return home, for a minimum of four years, to locally disseminate information acquired at SPH HSUM. To ensure maximum knowledge dispersal, participants were carefully selected to cover a variety of locations and medical disciplines; the selected candidates include doctors from each of the 21 aimags, the 9 districts, the Ulaanbaatar health department, the HSUM branch school, the School of Medicine and School of Nursing and one private medical school.



Thus, with the exchange of the signed agreements between D. Amarsaikhan, Vice President of Health Sciences University, Lauren Camp, George Washington University’s representative, and S. Bayarbaatar, Chief Executive Officer of the MCA-M, a significant step was made in building a healthcare system in Mongolia rooted in prevention and early diagnosis.

MCA Property Rights Project Begins Refurbishment

Refurbishments have begun for the twelve new land registry offices that the Property Rights Project plans to open in Ulaanbaatar and eight regional centers. These new buildings are part of the Property Rights Project’s goal of improving the process of securing land titles for Mongolians, particularly in ger areas. The company Nazu LLC began refurbishment on GASR buildings #1 and #3 in Ulaanbaatar, and Antech LLC was chosen to refurbish buildings in Chingeltei, Baganuur districts, Tuv and Khentii aimag. The remaining renovation projects were contracted out to regional companies in each aimag, and construction is scheduled to begin soon.

Here is a picture of one of the buildings:


And here is the construction beginning:


The Property Rights Project has been working closely with the ESA, the Environmental and Social Assessment Office, to ensure that the new buildings align with Hazardous Materials and Waste Management guidelines. Each contractor will follow strict guidelines to dispose of hazardous waste properly. Containers have been provided prior to the onset of renovations in each location for proper disposal of hazardous materials. It is hoped that by October 31, 2011, the new offices will be completed and ready to open to the public.

Here is a picture of the Hazmat container:

Staff Day!

Hi everybody,

Last Saturday, just steps from Chinggis Khaan's looming equestrian statue at Tsonjin Boldog, MCA held its "Summer Sunshine 2011" Staff Retreat at Khaan Jim's Tourist Camp. Around 70 MCA staff members from every office and PIU gathered for a day of fun, sunshine, bonding, khorkhog, and dancing. The retreat was a success on all fronts! Here are some pictures to prove it:

All the participants stopped to pose for a picture in front of the statue:



A fierce, inter-PIU game of soccer provided some afternoon entertainment



The Property Rights PIU won an award:



And we all got to listen to a wonderful horse fiddler:



If you want to see more pictures of the fun, take a look at our facebook album here.

Update on the Energy and Environment Project

Hi everybody,

Today I'm bringing you pictures and updates on the latest Energy and Environment Project (EEP) activity. The EEP joined Xac Bank on June 20th in Ulaanbaatar for the grand opening ceremony of their most recent fuel-efficient stove distribution center. The opening included singing performances, while also showcasing an array of stoves and disseminating information on the fuel savings qualities of the new stoves.



MCA will finance 76% of the cost for the stoves, leaving consumers to bear only 24% of the cost, which falls between 65,200 and 250,800 TMN, depending on the quality of the stove. MCA's Environmental and Energy Project is spearheading this initiative in hopes that it will reduce coal and ash emissions from ger districts in Ulaanbaatar, which compose around 90% of air pollution in the city. The new stoves will reduce emissions by 80% on average. The stoves provide significant gains for the consumer as well. They lower household fuel expenses by 20-30% on average, and burn for 12 hours as opposed to the average burn time of 3 hours for most Mongolian stoves.



It was a great event, and everyone seemed really excited about the new stoves. Let's hope EEP can reach their target of distributing 20,000 stoves by the fall!

HAZMAT WORKSHOP

Hi everybody,

There is a lot to update you on this week. Last thursday and Friday, MCA sponsored the Second Annual Conference on Hazardous Materials and Waste Management in Mongolia, "Advancing Management of Hazardous Materials and Waste from Cradle to Grave." Asbestos containing materials, lead-based paints, Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB), and mercury-containing light fixtures are still commonly used in construction in Mongolia, and the government does not have the capacity to regulate preexisting laws against their use in many cases. Proper disposal of medical waste poses another challenge in Mongolia, as does reduction of waste disseminated by households, including the ash that is spread into the air by gers being heated in the winter. In fact, according to one presentation by G. Chinzorig from GASI (General Agency for Specialized Inspection) at the conference, ash produced by heating gers provides 50% of hazardous waste in Ulaanbaatar. Furthermore, past studies have shown that only 30% of fees were collected for waste management in ger districts, thus posing a logistical problem for government in terms of having the funds to properly regulate these emissions.

This and other topics were addressed at the conference, which highlighted both the central problems facing hazardous materials and waste management in Mongolia, and the most realistic and effective ways to develop sustainable solutions. The discussions, which followed presentations by MCA consultants, government officials, and non MCA is also preparing guidelines and terms of reference for hazardous materials and waste management.



The Conference was a success, attended by around 60 representatives from government agencies and ministries, non-governmental organizations, international agencies, private entities, the media, and MCC-MCA officials.





There will be more to come in the next couple of days. The Health PIU set off on a two week trip to kick off their Anti-Tobacco and Alcohol Campaign on June 13 and will conclude the trip on June 25.