Communities and displaced people (IDPs) living in camps in Arakan (Rakhine) State townships where fighting has intensified are facing severe hardships due to critical medicine shortages and deteriorating healthcare support.
People displaced by fighting are encountering significant difficulties accessing healthcare due to shortages of medicines, excessively high prices, and minimal access to aid, an aid worker said.
An aid worker from the Linn Yaung Chi Foundation in Ponnagyun Township said to DMG: "Most war-displaced people rely on accessible nurses in their communities, but the number unable to access healthcare is steadily increasing due to shortages of medicines and high prices. Some cannot afford even basic treatments from nurses.”
Since fighting resumed in Arakan State in November 2023, the junta has imposed strict blockades on all land routes, waterways, and sea access to the region. As a result, Arakan State residents are enduring severe shortages of medicines and other essential goods.
According to the United League of Arakan/Arakan Army (ULA/AA), there are nearly 600,000 IDPs in Arakan State, the majority of whom need urgent healthcare and livelihood support.
The ULA/AA said that because now is the rainy season diseases such as malaria, influenza, coughs, and dysentery are spreading faster in IDP camps and leading to some fatalities. As a result the ULA/AA is calling on both local and international organisations to provide medicines for the IDPs to help ameliorate the situation.
"Although we are doing our best to assist, we still cannot provide sufficient aid to the displaced people throughout Arakan State. They continue to face many challenges, including shortages of medicine, accommodation, and food. Therefore, we urge local and international organisations, as well as those who can afford to help, to support them”, said the Linn Yaung Chi Foundation official.
Local aid groups, including the Linn Yaung Chi Foundation, face significant limitations and hardships in assisting IDPs due to factors such as their own members being displaced, challenges in fundraising, and difficulties in connecting with international organisations.
An IDP from Sittwe Township said: “When I was sick, I went to see a nearby nurse, but she couldn’t provide the exact medicine I needed. Instead, she used the most suitable alternative she had. The price of medicine is also very high, and it's no longer easy to buy. It’s become extremely difficult to treat even common illnesses.”
In northern Arakan State, the prices of commonly used medicines, such as antipyretics, antihypertensive drugs, and allergy treatments, have skyrocketed.
The shortage of medicines in Arakan State has also been exacerbated by India's suspension of medicine imports into Arakan State, which previously came from India to Paletwa in Chin State and then down the Kaladan River to Arakan State.
Currently, there is fierce fighting between the Arakan Army (AA) and junta in the townships of Maungdaw, Thandwe, and Gwa. As a result, the number of IDPs displaced by fighting in Ararkan State is expected to rise.
