Residents of the upper part of Taw Hpyar Chaung area in Ponnagyun Township, Arakan State, are facing healthcare problems due to the ongoing armed conflict.
Locals report that grocery stores, including the rural health center, in the Taw Hpyar Chaung area are in short of basic medicines due to travel restrictions and transportation difficulties during the fighting.
“Because of the lack of medicines, people with diabetes and high blood pressure are facing greater difficulties. Even for common illnesses like fever and cough, we can’t find the necessary medicines,” said U Than Tun from Thin Pone Tan village.
The increasing heat from the current El Niño weather has led to a rise in cases of fever, cough, and diarrhea among the local population in Arakan.
Children and the elderly are particularly affected by the extreme heat and have a greater need for medical care due to the heat.
“The temperature has become extreme, and we are getting sick. Forget about medicines, we can’t even find a packet of oral rehydration salts when we have diarrhea. We are really worried about emergency medical care,” said a villager from Sin Thay village in Taw Hpyar Chaung area.
The 30 or so villages in the upper part of Taw Hpyar Chaung area, including Sin Thay, Aw Ra Ma, Sin Phyu Taung, Khway Thay, Thin Pone, Aung Myay Kone, Par Pway, and Chaung Pauk, now have to depend on Poe Ywa Pyin village in the lower part of Taung Hpyar Chaung for their medical supplies.
In case of medical emergencies, they have to travel to the Poe Shee Pyin station hospital by motorboat, which is also a challenge due to the recent spike in fuel prices.
Daw Hla May from Khway Thay village said, “It takes around five hours from our village by motorboat. With the petrol price at 15,000 per liter, the transportation cost alone for a clinic visit is over 100,000 kyat. Together with the cost of medicines, the cost it reach 200,000 or 300,000 kyat. Medicines have become very expensive. That’s why we often have to rely on traditional remedies in case of illness.”
The remote area of Taw Hpyar Chaung now faces greater difficulties and challenges in terms of telecommunication, transportation, education, and healthcare amid the ongoing military conflict.
Since the outbreak of the conflict, the military junta has restricted land and water travel to Arakan State, leading to shortages of food, medicine, consumer goods, and other essential supplies, severely impacting the socioeconomic conditions of the local people.
Sent by Aung Htein (DMG).