A free medical check-up and treatment camp, organized by the Arakan National Rescue Organization and Rotary International with support from Dr Saw Mra Aung's family on 4 January in Sittwe, was attended by too many patients so they could not all receive proper treatment.
Daw Thar Yaing Phyu, a 63 year old woman, who suffered from a mild stroke and continues to have high blood pressure said: “I came from Kun Chaing fishing village of Ingaya Chaing Island in Pauk Taw township for the camp, but I could not get all my medicines because there were too many patients here.”
She added: “There is only one maternity nurse in our island who has to look after the women patients in all the villages. We have no village clinic in our island, so we are facing difficulties in accessing medical treatment as the nurse does not visit all villages, only the village she stays in.”
The patients came with various ailments including cleft lips and palates and leg fractures. Unfortunately, the camp could not treat eye, ear or nervous system problems. This meant that many patients could not take advantage of the camp and returned home empty handed.
“We came from Badaythar village in Punnagyun township for my son, who wants an operation on his cleft lip. I had to spend around 10000 Kyats to come here by bus. There was one more patient from our village with us,” said the mother of the young patient.
The doctors asked those patients who could not receive treatment to come back in February.
U Aung Kyan Luu from Pying Taw village in Rathidaung Township said: “I have a cough and also problems breathing. I was treated in Sittwe for a long time and though I am yet to fully recover, I am now feeling better. I thought the specialist doctors in the camp would help me to recover quicker."
The 79 year old villager also said that his eyes had already been treated at a free medical camp in Rathidaung a few years back.
He said: “I got both of my eyes operated on by the foreign medical officers in Rathidaung. They were very good doctors who were also compassionate to the patients.”
Nearly one thousand patients arriving from Pauk Taw, Minbya, Kyouktaw, Punnagyun, Rathidaung, Buthidaung and Maungdaw townships received treatment and consultations from the attending doctors. Unfortunately there were other patients still queuing that the doctors did not have time to attend to.
Edited in English for BNI by Mark Inkey
