The military council has restricted the importation of medicines into Arakan State for more than 8 months to prevent medicines from reaching the Arakan Army (AA), affecting ordinary civilians of Arakan rather than AA, local pharmacists and social activists said.
The junta has been in a ceasefire with the AA for nearly five months, but it continues to strictly block the transport of medical supplies from the mainland to the western state because of fears that the drugs could reach the AA.
A social activist from Sittwe, who does not wish to be named, told Narinjara that the regime has banned the free shipment of medicines to all townships in Arakan State only because it fears that the medicines could reach AA.
“Obviously, the military council doesn’t want the AA to have access to these medical supplies. So they continue to restrict them without regard for the welfare of the local population. They have been in the ceasefire for a long time, so they should think about lifting the ban,” he said.
The regime has restricted the import of medicines into Arakan State after fighting resumed with the AA in August 2022. The ban has left pharmacies in every town in Arakan undersupplied.
“We are constantly facing shortages of medical supplies. This has led us to stockpile some types of medicines so they don’t sell out. But due to financial constraints, we can only procure a stock for about three months in advance,” he said.
Pharmaceutical suppliers and pharmacists said the military council has officially announced the restriction on the supply of medical supplies to Arakan State. Due to the delays in the supply of medicines, there is a shortage of drugs in the market, pharmacy owners said.
Some pharmacists said they have to obtain permission from the Arakan State security and border affairs minister, for which they allegedly have to pay a bribe of up to MMK 3 million.
Narinjara could not independently verify this claim.
One pharmacy owner said, “We can’t afford to get this certificate from the security and border affairs minister. We are not a big pharmacy, so it is not possible for us to get such a certificate.”
An employee of the company, who requested anonymity, revealed that pharmaceutical suppliers operating in Sittwe face major obstacles due to the regime’s ban.
“We are stopped and checked at checkpoints in Kyauktaw and Mrauk-U when we deliver medicines to rural areas from Sittwe. Officially, we are not allowed to transport medical supplies. The vehicles are not allowed to carry large boxes of medicine. So we have a lot of operational difficulties,” he said.
Sources close to the health sector have reported that even when they want to transport medicines approved by the regime’s health ministry, there are unnecessary delays in transporting medicines due to the bureaucratic and time-consuming process of obtaining approval.
Col. Kay Thura, the Arkan State minister of security and border affairs, did not respond to Narinjara’s requests for comment.
As a result of the ongoing restrictions, the cost of medicines in Arakan State is steadily increasing.
Sent by Narinjara.