Health Project Bringing Tangible Benefits to Rural Communities
Since 2022, Save the Children Mongolia has been implementing a healthcare project in Chandmani soum, Gobi-Altai province, in partnership with the U.S.-based organization The Denan Project. As part of the project, a fully equipped dental clinic was established and handed over to the Soum Health Center in November 2022, along with the training and preparation of a professional dentist. In November 2023, The Denan project, Save the Children Mongolia and the Chandmani Soum Local Community Council jointly donated a new, fully equipped ambulance to the Health Center. Additionally, items was donated to support the activities of the Health Club at the local general education school. The project has also been providing essential medical supplies, equipment, and medicines to the soum’s health center to help improve service delivery.
From September 2–5, 2025, L. Bayan-Altai, Country Manager of Save the Children in Mongolia, together with Jean Shin, Board Member of The Denan Project conducted field visits in Gobi-Altai and Zavkhan provinces to monitor project implementation and review its impact.
Growing Demand for Dental Services in Chandmani Soum
Ch. Bat-Erdene, Head Doctor of the Chandmani Soum Health Center, shared the positive outcomes of the ongoing project. Ch. Bat-Erdene said” Since the launch of the dental clinic, a total of 5,308 patients has received services. Over 80% of these patients are school-aged and preschool children. The number of patients seeking dental services has been increasing each year. The health center organizes annual preventive dental check-ups for children in local schools and kindergartens. In addition to residents of Chandmani Soum, people from neighboring soums and villages, including Erdene, Tsogt, Biger, Bayantooroi, and even Baatsagaan and Buutsagaan soums of Bayankhongor province are accessing dental care at the clinic. In fact, half of all patients served this year were from outside Chandmani soum. The clinic currently operates with a dentist and a nurse. In 2025, we implemented a joint project called ‘Healthy Little Teeth’ with neighboring Erdene Soum, located 35 km away.
Using portable dental equipment, our dentist and nurse visited Erdene soum in May and June, conducted preventive check-ups for 363 children in local schools and kindergartens, provided treatment for 204 children, and applied fluoride varnish to 81 children’s teeth. We plan to return this September for follow-up check-ups and treatment.”
Dentist N. Javzandulam also highlighted their outreach work: “Through the Denan Project, we distributed over 100 toothbrushes and toothpastes to children, along with oral hygiene instructions. One child mentioned that they had hung the instruction sheet above the sink and used it as a guide while brushing their teeth. Together with our nurse, we also conduct regular oral health education sessions for children.”
Mobile Diagnostic Equipment Handed Over to Chandmani Soum Health Center
L.Bayan-Altai, Country Manager of Save the Children Mongolia, and Jean Shin, Board Member of the Denan Project, officially handed over a portable mobile diagnostic equipment package to the Chandmani Soum Health Center. This package includes a portable ultrasound device, electrocardiograph (ECG), blood pressure monitor, cholesterol tester, and blood glucose meter, among others. The ultrasound device is equipped with image capture and transfer capabilities, and the ipad supports WiFi and 5G SIM cards, with a pre-installed application for conducting portable ultrasound scans.Designed specifically for use in remote and rural areas, this modern diagnostic kit integrates essential and commonly used diagnostic tools with advanced mobile technologies. It allows healthcare workers to provide timely and effective diagnosis and care, especially in emergency-call situations. The system’s portability helps reduce delays and service gaps in delivering medical care, avoids unnecessary patient transport, and supports emergency decision-making by enabling point-of-care diagnostics. In critical, life-threatening cases, the ability to instantly share ultrasound images with specialists enables timely referrals and interventions, such as emergency surgeries, without losing valuable time. By using WiFi or 5G connectivity, doctors can send diagnostic images in real-time to tertiary hospitals or specialists for consultation. This functionality ensures faster and more efficient decision-making and contributes to evidence-based medical services for patients in even the most isolated areas.
L.Bayan-Altai: The Ambulance Donated Through the Denan Project Is Saving Lives
Save the Children’s Country Manager in Mongolia, L. Bayan-Altai, spoke about the effectiveness of the ambulance vehicle donated by the Denan Project to the Chandmani Soum Health Center.
– With funding from the Denan Project, based in the United States, Save the Children has supported the Chandmani Soum Health Center not only in establishing a fully equipped dental clinic but also in supplying essential medical equipment, devices, and medicines. In cooperation with the Chandmani Soum Ulaanbaatar City Association, we also donated a brand-new ambulance to improve access to healthcare in this remote area. The ambulance travels up to 130 km within the soum and up to 240 km to the provincial center to transport patients to the central hospital. In the past two years alone, the ambulance has responded to over 380 emergency calls, and it is used daily for routine medical services as well.
Empowering Youth Through Health Clubs
During their field visit, the team from Save the Children Mongolia and the Denan Project also met with members of the Health Club at Chandmani Soum’s General Education School. With support from the Denan Project, a Health Club has been established for secondary school students to promote health education and public health awareness. The project also provided equipment and materials for the club’s activities. Dr. B. Bumannanjid, the school doctor, introduced the Health Club’s activity to the guests. Named “Peace Promoters”, the club consists of 25 students from grades between 9–12, led by grade 11A student E. Enkhmunkh. Over the past year, the club has conducted various awareness campaigns and trainings, including: “No to Bullying”, “Infectious Diseases and the Importance of Handwashing”, “First Aid Support”, “Information about Scheduled Vaccines”. They also distributed handouts, gave classroom talks, and trained dormitory teachers and monitors on preparing gargling solutions to help prevent respiratory infections. In collaboration with the local dentist, the Health Club helped organize preventive dental check-ups for all students. “Many club members are interested in pursuing medical careers.
Two of our graduate students are now studying to become doctors at the National University of Medical Sciences,” shared Dr. B. Bumbananjid.
B.Erdene-Ochir: The Health Project is Showing Positive Results
The project implementers and donors met with the Governor of Chandmani soum to discuss the results and activities of the project. During this meeting, we interviewed the Governor of the soum, B. Erdene-Ochir, who shared the following insights.
– What are your thoughts on the results of the health project?
– The health project implemented in our soum has been effective. Among the 18 soums of Gobi-Altai province, Chandmani is one of the soums that has a dental clinic equipped with comprehensive medical equipment, professional doctors and nurses. Therefore, neighboring soums and the provincial center city often propose collaborative work with us. Till today, over 80 percent of children and adults have undergone preventive dental examinations. Our soum is located 1,000 km from Ulaanbaatar and 204 km from the provincial center. This means residents save money and time by traveling 10 to 60 km to access complete medical treatment locally. Going forward, the soum and local authorities will fully support and cooperate with the project in all aspects.
– The project, in cooperation with the Local Council, provided an ambulance vehicle. How sufficient is the supply of designated vehicles?
– We are grateful to the project team. Health is the most important thing for people. In remote rural areas, equipped emergency vehicles are highly needed. Thanks to this, emergency medical services are being delivered to the people without delay.
– What future health-related activities are planned?
– Our soum’s residents have several basic health concerns. One is oral health. There are also issues with emergency health services and drinking water. Since Chandmani soum uses water with too high minerals, cancer rates are elevated. Currently, herders transport drinking water from sources 30 to 40 km away. Therefore, we are focusing significantly on improving water quality to meet standards. Additionally, mining companies operating in the soum have provided two small vehicles to serve community members as part of their corporate social responsibility.
Dental Clinic to be Established Following the “Denan” Project Model
The project team met with Gobi-Altai Governor G. Chinbat, Deputy Governor M. Altangerel, and Head of the Administrative Management Department Ya. Jargaltsetseg in Altai city. Discussed the “Improving Child Protection based on School environment” project started in 2023, the results of the health project initiated in 2022, and humanitarian projects assisting people affected by dzud and dust storms. Governor G. Chinbat said: “The Governor’s program for 2024-2028 is based on the slogan ‘Leading the country by human development.’ Over these four years, we plan to work on improving health, education, living conditions, and creating opportunities for income generation. Currently, 11 soums in Gobi-Altai province have dental clinics, including the one you established, which is working very well. I want to emphasize that. We aim to cooperate with international projects and programs.” The province plans to establish dental clinics in three soums following the “Denan” project model with support from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Jean Shin, member of the “Denan” project’s member of Executive Board, presented the results of the ongoing health project in Mongolia and outlined planned future activities to the provincial leadership.
