The Global Heroes

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21st August 2024 By The Global Heroes Conflict

Myanmar's Healthcare Crisis Deepens Amid Border Closures and Escalating Conflict

In the dimly lit hallway of RHI Hospital in Rikhawdar, a border town in Myanmar's Chin State, 20-year-old Chhanhim clutches his bandaged head, wincing in pain. The silence of the night is interrupted only by the hum of a generator. Chhanhim, a fighter in an armed group opposing Myanmar’s military junta since the February 2021 coup, stares out a small window toward the now-sealed border with India - a lifeline once crucial for trade and medical escape.

Chhanhim’s health has deteriorated since sustaining injuries in a March 2024 ambush in Kale, a remote township in western Myanmar. The closure of the India-Myanmar border has blocked his access to vital medical care, including a CT scan at a hospital in Aizawl, India, just 200 kilometers away. No hospital in Myanmar can provide the advanced treatment he needs. "We used to cross the border for treatment," Chhanhim says. "Now, with the border closed, we're trapped here, unable to get the care we desperately need."

The abrupt termination of the Free Movement Regime (FMR), which allowed cross-border access to essential services between India’s Mizoram state and Myanmar's border areas, has plunged Kale Township into a severe healthcare crisis. The Indian government’s decision, made in the run-up to February’s national elections to address security concerns, has stranded thousands in urgent need of medical attention. "The border closure has hit our community hard," says Dr. Lalaramzaua, the sole doctor at RHI Hospital. "We’re overwhelmed with cases and have minimal resources. We relied on supplies from Mizoram. Now, our ability to provide care is severely compromised."

This crisis extends beyond Kale. Intensified fighting between armed groups and the military junta, notorious for tactics endangering civilians, has crippled healthcare across Myanmar. Earlier this month, Médecins Sans Frontières reported a surge in war-wounded individuals fleeing to Bangladesh. The majority are Rohingya Muslims, facing attacks from both anti-Junta forces and the military. In Cox’s Bazar refugee camps in Bangladesh, 39 people, 40% of them women, were treated by MSF between August 3 and 7.

The unrest in Bangladesh, exacerbated by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s flight from the country on August 5, has further strained healthcare access. The International Rescue Committee had to suspend most of its operations in Bangladesh, leaving only a 24/7 clinic in Cox’s Bazar, primarily serving persecuted Rohingya Muslims.

Among those hardest hit by the border closure is Malsawm Puia, a 28-year-old from Kale Township battling blood cancer. Previously receiving treatment in Mizoram, he now faces an uncertain future without access to necessary care. "The Indian government’s decision could be a death sentence for many of us," says Malsawm Puia’s mother, who accompanies him to the hospital.

The healthcare system in Kale is on the brink of collapse, with nearly 100,000 residents struggling due to a lack of medical supplies and facilities. Dr. Lalaramzaua expresses the dire situation: "We have pregnant women and cancer patients here. The lack of facilities means I can only treat basic conditions. The situation is heart-breaking, and we’re doing everything possible with the limited resources available."

For women like Enok, a 38-year-old farmer who recently gave birth at home with the help of a midwife, the healthcare crisis is perilous. Unable to reach the hospital for a check-up, Enok survives on plain rice, without access to postnatal supplements. "I can’t get enough sleep," she says, using a pseudonym for security reasons. "People are so tired because they can’t sleep."

The closure of the border and ongoing conflict have left Myanmar's healthcare system in shambles, with thousands trapped and in desperate need of help.

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