Residents of Manaung Township in the southern part of Arakan (Rakhine) State are suffering from severe health difficulties due to an acute shortage of essential medicines.
The shortages have been caused by the junta's blockades on sea routes and waterways and have been compounded by stringent restrictions on the transportation of goods in the area. The unprecedented shortage of medicines has left locals in dire straits.
A Manaung Township resident said: “We can't find the medicines we need anywhere. Even common headache medicines and cough syrups are unavailable, forcing people to travel to distant villages to buy them. Patients with chronic diseases have been facing a shortage for two months and are unable to get the medications they need to take regularly,”
Manaung Township is comprised of five town area wards and 36 village tracts and the population exceeds 57,000, according to the 2014 census. There is a severe shortage of medicines throughout the township.
The 50-bed hospital in Manaung Township typically operates with one senior doctor, who is in-charge, two assistant doctors, and about ten staff members, including nurses. But, most of the staff have left due to an escalation of fighting in the area and the only staff remaining at the hospital are one assistant doctor and four health workers.
A source close to the hospital said: "The hospital's medicine stockpile has nearly run out, and the number of healthcare workers is very low. The doctor-in-charge is no longer present. This creates a very difficult situation for the local people who depend on the hospital for their healthcare needs.”
Previously, emergency patients from Manaung Township could be transported to hospitals in Thandwe and Taungup townships, but that is currently impossible because the junta has imposed a strict ban on people travelling on inland waterways or by sea. This has resulted in what would previously have been avoidable deaths of patients with chronic diseases and those requiring emergency medical treatment.
Another Manaung Township resident said: "They [patients] were banned from going to other townships for medical treatment, leading to preventable deaths. For instance, a woman living in a downtown ward recently died of diabetes. In rural areas, it is very likely that some deaths have occurred due to inadequate healthcare support.”
Since the onset of fighting in Arakan State, Manaung Township residents have faced significant difficulties in accessing healthcare, carrying out their livelihoods and doing other vital tasks due to the junta's stringent travel restrictions.
Though there are no military battalions or divisions in Manaung Township, there are many junta troops firmly entrenched in downtown areas. Junta soldiers have also been conducting patrols and military operations in approximately 20 nearby villages.
