A number of Chin people have died due to lack of medical treatment and medicines during severe famine in Paletwa Township, southern Chin State in Burma.

In Sami village tract, if a local villager falls ill he has to journey over two days to the nearest clinic for a checkup as there is only one clinic in Sami area in Paletwa Township.

A clinic staff said, “We have five staff members in the clinic but no medicines for patients. Twelve people died as a result from February to September 2009.”

It is learnt that among the 12 persons seven were women, three men and two children. They were afflicted by common diseases but there was lack of medicines in the clinic.

Some patients can afford to have medicines in Paletwa town while some cannot reach it given the long distance from their respective places.

Khounmthung News complied the list of the dead in Sami village, Paletwa Township in Chin state during the months of February to September 2009. They are Mr. Rengzong (53), Mrs. Bawivaw(57), Mrs. Mahni(37), Zingte (2week), Zinglian (1month), Mrs. Thuiueh(58), and Mrs. Roisoi(40) of Shwe Pi Kung village; Mrs. Nemte(50) of Kingkangkung village; Mrs. Hoihli(53) and Mr. Thungkring (28) of Zongkung village; Mrs. Thawnghoi(51) of Lamoi village and  Mr. Pine (30) of Ringrong village.

"We had a Hepatitis patient in our village and we went for a checkup to the clinic but there were no medicines for treatment. We turned back home and he died on 4 October. We reached there in time but there were no medicines at all in the clinic,” a local of SwePiKung village told Khonumthung News.