According to the Kayan Women’s Organization (KyWO), pregnant mothers and infants, as well as children, have died in war-affected areas of Karenni State due to the inadequate supply of medicines and lack of health care.
“Since the military coup, they have not received adequate health care. They don’t have access to medicines that can nourish mothers and infants. Pregnant mothers often have miscarriages because they have to flee from one place to another. Some babies die in the womb, others are born prematurely and then die. There have been too many maternal deaths after giving birth,” said Mu Angela, Joint Secretary (2) of Kayan Women’s Organization (KyWO).
After the military coup, clinics and hospitals were forced to close for various reasons, while those in rural areas face shortage of medical supplies, according to the KyWO.
In addition, insufficient supply of nutritional supplements for children and mothers has become a problem, it added.
In the two years since the military coup, eight children under the age of two have not received medical treatment in villages in western Demoso Township, where there are no hospitals or clinics.
There have been deaths because of a lack of timely medical treatment, said Ma Mary, an relief worker for internally displaced people in western Demoso.
“The child had diarrhea and was vomiting. They decided to wait another day or two and only go to the doctor if he did not get better. The next day they went to the hospital, but the child died when he arrived at the hospital,” Ma Mary told the story of one child.
A statement released by the KyWO on 30 April said that from early 2023 to April, there were at least five cases of miscarriage, death of the child or mother during childbirth, or premature birth, although it was not possible to record the exact number of children and mothers who died due to the lack of medical care.
Mu Angela claimed that the number of cases could be higher given the inaccessible areas on the ground.
Moreover, pregnant mothers had to deliver their babies with the help of birth helpers due to the lack of proper medical care, she added.
“Pregnant mothers in areas where clinics and hospitals are accessible also have to give birth in fear of airstrikes by the military council, which could happen at any time,” she said. Fear and insecurity have also affected mothers, and the number of cases of children dying in the womb, being born dead or having miscarriages is increasing,” Mu Angela said.
Most maternal and child deaths occurred in the western Demoso, Hpruso, Pekon and Moebye Townships. These areas experienced armed conflict after the military coup and lack access to health care and are in urgent need of medicines.
In January 2023, a woman in western Hpruso Township gave birth to a stillborn child who was seven months old and lacked complete limbs. On 26 February, a woman in Lelhtun village, Pekon Township, also suffered a miscarriage when she was seven months pregnant.
Similarly, on 26 March, a woman from Nangpawlong village died after giving birth. In addition, a woman in Pekon gave birth to a stillbirth when she was seven months pregnant with twins, according to KyWO data.
Sent by Kantarawaddy Times.