In Lanku village, Leiktho town, Thandaunggyi Township, Taungoo District, Karen State, a war-displaced pregnant woman gave birth to quadruplets on March 29, resulting in the tragic loss of both the mother and two infants, leaving only two surviving children.

While seeking temporary shelter in her plantation in Lanku village, the woman went into labor without access to proper medical facilities due to ongoing conflicts, relying solely on the assistance of a village midwife. Tragically she succumbed to exhaustion during the delivery of the third child in the set of quadruplets.

With the mother's passing, the infant still within her womb also perished, and tragically, one of the three children born, a girl passed away on March 31, due to lack of effective healthcare support, leaving only two girls surviving, as reported by the villagers.

"Despite carrying quadruplets, her abdomen did not appear unusually large before giving birth," noted a resident who preferred to remain anonymous. "When the mother gave birth to the third child of the quadruplets, she sweated profusely, and her entire body had turned pale. Following her death, the unborn child also passed away. All the children are girls”, she added.

The region grapples with significant transportation obstacles, worsened by ongoing armed conflicts that have effectively closed rural clinics since 2022. Many locals were also forced to abandon their homes as war-displacement recurred amid frequent clashes.

The two surviving children have been taken in by charity organizations in Taungoo, and efforts are being made to send them to the hospital in Naypyidaw, as the girls require ongoing healthcare support.

Pregnant women and nursing mothers displaced by armed clashes in areas under the control of the Karen National Union (KNU), face significant hardships in accessing adequate healthcare support due to ongoing conflicts. They also struggle with conditions such as nutrition, exacerbating their already difficult circumstances, according to Karen Women Organization (KWO).

In Taungoo District, under the control of the KNU, over 200,00 people have been displaced by war, as documented in a list compiled in January. These individuals are grappling not only with a lack of healthcare support but also with the Junta's blockade of medical supplies, compounding their sufferings.