An HIV-positive man in Kyauktaw township of Arakan State died due to the shortage of antiretroviral therapy (ART).
The deceased was a 40-year-old resident of Kha Maung Taw village under Kyauktaw township.
He passed away in the third week of November after struggling with the lack of mandatory medicines.
A family member informed that the man was living with HIV since 2023 and faced an 11-month medication shortage after the fighting broke out in the region.
"The medicine shortage lasted for a long time. It began during the fighting, and we couldn’t buy the ART. His health worsened without the proper medication. We searched for medicine in Kyauktaw, Mrauk-U, and Minbya towns, but failed to get it. He tried even alternative treatments, but it didn’t help. Finally, he ran out of medicine and died," added the family member.
Before the fighting in Arakan State, the township health department provided ART free of charges to HIV patients.
However, due to the ongoing conflict, the department shut down completely and the junta forces imposed an indefinite ban on transportation routes as well as delivery of medicines to the region.
As a result, most HIV patients in Arakan State had to live without ART for nearly a year. They were also unable to travel to Sittwe or Yangon to obtain it.
A health worker from Kyauktaw, who wished to remain anonymous, said that most HIV patients are now suffering from the lack of medication and facing poor health.
"ART may be available in Sittwe, but it's impossible to travel to get it. The junta even indefinitely banned the transportation of medicines. It’s not just ART, there is no medicine for any illness in Arakan State. There’s no one to provide medicine for the patients. We are in a situation where we can do nothing. It would be helpful if the relevant authorities can take actions to ease the situation for the patients," said the health worker.
He claimed that the most affected (by the ART shortage) areas are in liberated localities by the Arakan Army (AA). The townships with intense fighting are also experiencing the shortage of medicines.
Mentionable is that ART is the primary treatment used to control the spread of HIV in the blood and other body fluid of an individual.
Currently, there is no declared cure for HIV, but with the regular ART, an individual can maintain a strong immune system and live a long, healthy life, similar to a normal person without the infection.
Without the ART, an HIV patient develops AIDS and eventually dies.
In Arakan State, the records shows that around 500 individuals used to receive the ART from township health departments.
Recently, two women from Mrauk-U and Manaung towns died due to the shortage of medicines following the gun fighting in Arakan State.
