With nearly 3 years of COVID and 2 years of political and humanitarian crisis in Myanmar, the overall health situation continues to remain disrupted, with segments of people faced with serious health challenges. According to the latest Humanitarian Needs Overview 2023, 10 million people are in need of health assistance, with 52% of them being women and girls, 32% of children aged under 18 years old.
The armed conflicts has escalated in multiple states and regions, particularly in the Northwest area (Chin, Magway, Sagaing) and Southeast (Chin) destroying homes and posing protection risks for the habitants. The eruption of violence has resulted in loss of lives, injuries and mass movement of civilian population to neighboring areas and countries. Faced with critical shortages of health commodities, health systems are also struggling to maintain functionality. Health facilities are under-staffed and under-resourced, and health workers are overwhelmed.
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| A mobile clinic in Hko Ma Monastery IDP camp, Tarmakhan (Photo credit: Best Shelter) |
Improved availability of mobile clinics for IDPs at new displacement sites is urgently needed and the most pressing health needs are for emergency medical care, health commodities including essential medicines for management of influenza, fever and cough, diarrhea, and non-communicable diseases such as hypertension and diabetes. Nationwide capacity building for community health workers and support for midwives become both crucial to providing necessary healthcare in communities amid the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
WHO and the health partners continue to scale up operations to address these health needs of most vulnerable people, by coordinating the work of local stakeholders to reach out to the most vulnerable people. Health cluster partners are supporting mobile medical services, including primary health care, emergency care and mental health and psychosocial support to serve the health needs of internally displaced people and host communities. In terms of humanitarian supplies, partners are procuring and delivering medical supplies and equipment, emergency and trauma kits and interagency emergency reproductive health kits to support trauma, surgery, and primary health care services.
However, the challenges persist. One of the health cluster coordinators (Kachin State) said,
"Implementing healthcare services in conflict areas continues to be challenging because of frequent and scattered armed clashes, numerous checkpoints, transportation difficulties, the risk of explosive ordnance and movement restrictions. But we are trying every day".
Vital Sign Monitoring in Kawkereik Township by a health cluster partner organization |
As conflicts rage compounded by the impact of COVID19 pandemic, Myanmar has fallen into a more vulnerable state with significant human suffering and with reversal of many development gains made in recent years. Despite challenges, WHO and health partners remain engaged in the coordinated efforts to ensure access to healthcare, as the basic human right.