Locals in the Ta'ang National Liberation Army TNLA controlled Namhkam Town in northern Shan State are concerned about medicine shortages in the town.
There is a significant shortage of medicine in hospitals, clinics and pharmacies in Namhkam Town, which has caused concern amongst patients suffering from chronic diseases, according to a Namhkam Town resident.
He said to Shan Herald: “Hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies are running out of essential medicines, including long-term medications for chronic diseases. Antimalarial drugs are completely unavailable in town. Malaria patients can only recover quickly with the proper medication. The current shortage of medicines is a serious concern.”
In addition to Namhkam Town, there is also a widespread shortage of medicine in the TNLA-controlled Township of Namhkam. There is also a shortage of medicine in the neighbouring junta-controlled Muse Township and Muse Town.
In Muse Town, the medical situation has been made even worse by a shortage of doctors. Since the Three Brotherhood Alliance, which includes the TNLA, launched Operation 1027 on 27 October 2023 in northern Shan State, the government hospital in Muse Town has faced a shortage of doctors and medicine, prompting locals to seek care at private hospitals in the town, according to a Muse Town resident.
He added that though there are more doctors in Namhkam Town than in Muse Town, the ongoing medicine shortage in Namhkam town remains a significant problem for locals, especially the poor.
He said to Shan Herald: “It can be said that the shortage of medicines began with Operation 1027. In Muse [Town], the public now needs to rely mainly on private hospitals, and the shortage has become very serious. There are more doctors in Namhkam [Town] now, which is why even patients from Muse [Town] go there. However, Namhkam [Town] is also facing a shortage of medicines, so the struggles are the same.”
The people of Namhkam are normally rely heavily on goods coming from Muse, most of which are normally imported from Ruili Town in China through the Sinphyu and Nandaw border trading posts. But far fewer goods are entering Muse from China at the moment because the Chinese have imposed limits on the amount of goods allowed to enter Myanmar.
The shortages in both TNLA-controlled Namhkam Town and junta-controlled Muse Town have also been made worse, because since 1 December about five checkpoints have been set up between the two towns. Both sides have imposed restrictions on the movement of farm product sellers and small-scale traders between the two towns, effectively preventing them from passing through.
