The health workers in Mon state have been making non-health-related inquiries about patients receiving treatment and their attendants, first-hand accounts told Than Lwin Times.
Before the military took power, there were no such interrogations of patients who would attend the hospital.
After the coup, health workers did not provide immediate medical attention to patients, who came for emergency treatment at public hospitals held by the military council, for security reasons, and questions unrelated to health issues, addresses and background information of patients and their attendants.
"The officials from the hospitals did not allow my father, who was in a critical condition, to enter the hospital immediately. They asked where we came from and who we are? They didn't care about the patient at all and treated us like criminals. After the coup d'état, it is no longer convenient for us to be treated at the government hospital," said a family member of a patient who recently received medical treatment at Paung Township Public Hospital.
When admitted to public hospitals, the patient has to buy medicines and related items such as cotton swabs from the outside, a father of a patient who was admitted to Mawlamyine public hospital.
The relevant hospitals did not immediately respond to Than Lwin Times’ request for comment.
After the coup, most health workers no longer wanted to serve under the military regime and joined the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM). As a result, the number of health workers in government hospitals has decreased, and some hospitals cannot even accept outpatients.
Because of these incidents, the military council repeatedly invited CDM personnel to return to work in their government health facilities, but only a small number returned to duty.
Due to health workers shortages in hospitals, poor health services, and increased commodity prices following the devaluation of the Myanmar kyat, it is difficult to purchase medicine and medical supplies, health workers who joined CDM said.
