Yangon, formerly known as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and commercial capital of Myanmar. Yangon served as the administrative capital of Myanmar until 2006, when the military government relocated the administrative functions to the purpose-built city of Naypyidaw [nèpjìdɔ̀] in central Myanmar. With over 7 million people, Yangon is Myanmar's largest city and its most important commercial centre.
Yangon Region is an administrative region of Myanmar. Located in the heart of Lower Myanmar, the division is bordered by Bago Region to the north and east, the Gulf of Martaban to the south, and Ayeyarwady Region to the west. Yangon Region is dominated by its capital city of Yangon, the former national capital and the largest city in the country. Other important cities are Thanlyin and Twante. The division is the most developed region of the country and the main international gateway. The division measures 10,170 km2 (3,930 sq mi).
University of Yangon, located in Kamayut, Yangon, is the oldest university in Myanmar's modern education system and the best known university in Myanmar. The university offers mainly undergraduate and postgraduate degrees programs in liberal arts, sciences and law. Full-time bachelor's degrees were not offered at the university's main campus after the student protests of 1996. The bachelor's degree was re-offered from 2014 on, to the best students in the country. Today degrees in Political Science are offered to undergraduate students, as well as Postgraduate diplomas in areas such as social work and geology.
Lanmadaw Township is located in the western part of downtown Yangon, and shares borders with Ahlon Township in the west, Latha Township in the east, Seikkan Township and Yangon River in the south, and Dagon Township in the north. It consists of twelve wards and is home to five primary schools, two middle schools and two high schools. Lanmadaw and Latha townships make up the Yangon Chinatown.
The University of Medicine 1, Yangon, located in Yangon, it is the oldest medical school in Myanmar. The university offers M.B., B.S. degrees and graduate degrees in medical science. The university is perhaps the most selective university in the country, and admits approximately 400 students annually based on their University Entrance Examination scores.
North Okkalapa Township is located in the eastern part of Yangon. The township comprises 19 wards, and shares borders with Hlegu Township and Mingaladon township in the north, North Dagon Township in the east, Mingaladon Township and Mayangon Township in the west, and Kamayut Township, and Mayangon township and South Okkalapa Township in the south. North Okkalapa was one of the satellite towns established in 1959. Today, it is a firmly established part of the city, albeit with nominal access to the city's electricity grid and sewer system. Like most areas in the city, especially in working-class neighborhoods like North Okkalapa, night-time electricity is available nowadays.
The Yangon General Hospital (YGH) is a major public hospital in Yangon, Myanmar. Located in a 14 hectares compound, the 2,000-bed hospital consists of four medical wards, three surgical wards, one trauma and orthopaedic ward, and 28 specialist departments for inpatient care. The hospital also runs an ER for general medicine, general surgery and traumatology.
The University of Medicine 2, Yangon is a university of medicine, located in North Okkalapa, Yangon, Myanmar. The university offers M.B., B.S. degrees and graduate degrees in medical science. The university is one of the most selective in the country, and accepts approximately 300 students annually based solely on their University Entrance Examination scores.
Kamayut Township is located in the north central part of Yangon. The township comprises ten wards, and shares borders with Hlaing township in the north, Hlaing township and Kyimyindaing township in the west, the Inya Lake, Bahan township and Mayangon township in the east, and Sanchaung township in the south.
The University of Dental Medicine, Yangon, is the leading university of dental medicine, located in Yangon, Myanmar. The university, along with the University of Dental Medicine, Mandalay, is only one of two universities of dental medicine in the country. The annual intake into both dental universities is only 300. The country with a population of over 50 million had only about 1500 dentists in 2005.
The Defence Services Medical Academy (DSMA), located in Mingaladon, Yangon, is the University of Medicine of the Myanmar Armed Forces. One of the most selective universities in the country, the academy offers M.B., B.S. degree programs. Upon graduation, most DSMA cadets are commissioned with the rank of Lieutenant in the Myanmar Army Medical Corps. The military physicians are to serve the healthcare needs of rural people when they are assigned in the country's remote regions where access to healthcare is poor.
The Yangon Central Women's Hospital is a public hospital in Yangon, Myanmar. It is also a tertiary care teaching hospital of the University of Medicine 1, Yangon, the Yangon Institute of Nursing, and the University of Paramedical Science, Yangon.
The West Yangon General Hospital is a public hospital in Yangon, Myanmar. It consists of a medical ward, a surgical ward, a pediatric ward, and an obstetrics and gynecology ward. The hospital also runs an ER for general medicine, general surgery and traumatology. It is also the Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital of University of Medicine 1, Yangon, the Yangon Institute of Nursing, and the University of Paramedical Science, Yangon. The hospital mainly serves the masses who cannot afford to attend private hospitals in Yangon or go abroad for "medical tourism".
The Ministry of Health is a national government-run ministry administering health affairs and health care in Myanmar, including all of the medical schools. In 2016, President Htin Kyaw dissolved the Ministry of Sports (Myanmar) and organized it under the Ministry of Health.
There are three schools for the deaf in Burma, the Mary Chapman School for the Deaf in Yangon, the School for the Deaf, Mandalay, and the Immanuel School for the Deaf in Kalay. However, oral Burmese is the language of instruction, at least in Yangon, with sign used to support it. The sign language used in Yangon and Mandalay is different, but it's not clear if they are one language or two. Influences on the language(s) include ASL in all schools, as well as Korean Sign Language, Australian Sign Language, Thai Sign Language, and possibly a local substratum. A government project was set up in 2010 to establish a national sign language with the aid of the Japanese Federation of the Deaf.
Tha Hla Shwe is a Burmese physician who served as President of the Myanmar Red Cross Society from 2006 to 2016. He has also served as Rector of the University of Medicine 2, Yangon from 1992 to 2004.
