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.