Hospitals in junta-controlled Bhamo District, Kachin State, can no longer treat serious illnesses or injuries and are only able to provide basic healthcare for common ailments like coughs and colds.

A Bhamo District resident said: “Bhamo [District’s] healthcare sector is unable to manage large-scale cases. My friend's son suffered a blood clot in his head after a motorcycle accident and had to be transferred to Mandalay for surgery. Bhamo [District] can no longer handle such procedures.”

Bhamo District's healthcare sector is struggling due to a shortage of healthcare professionals and medicines.

After the junta’s February 2021 coup many doctors in the District joined the anti-coup Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM), withdrew their services and refused to work under the junta. Specialist doctors and professors were also transferred to larger cities.

This meant that the only physicians left in Bhamo District were a few doctors in Bhamo Town working at the People’s Hospital and at a few private hospitals in the town.

Bhamo Town is the administrative centre of Bhamo District and previously it also provided healthcare for residents of the town and other nearby towns and villages. Now, even Bhamo Town is facing medicine and healthcare shortages.

Getting medicine to Bhamo District is also harder than previously. Before medicines could be sent there by road, river or air. Now, because of junta blockades, the only way medicines can get into Bhamo District is by air. Because of this restriction there is insufficient medicine reaching the district.

“The healthcare sector here is in a very bad state. It's not completely collapsed, but it's at its lowest point,” said the aforementioned Bhamo District resident.

According to 2021 government statistics, in all of Bhamo District, including Bhamo Town, there were 14 government hospitals, about 150 rural healthcare centres, 50 doctors, and approximately 250 nurses and healthcare staff.

Currently, there are only 10 doctors working in Bhamo District.