Healthcare services needed at Arakan State IDP camps as illnesses rise

By Myo Thiri Kyaw 01 Oct 2020

Myo Thiri Kyaw | DMG
1 October 2020, Sittwe 

Healthcare services are said to be urgently needed for internally displaced people (IDPs) as the number of sick people is increasing at IDP camps in Arakan State, which has the second-highest coronavirus infection rate in Myanmar. 

There are between 30 and 50 sick people at the Tin Nyo IDP camp, where 3,321 IDPs are sheltering. They do not know why they are sick and are taking medicines that were purchased from pharmacy stores, according to U Wai Hla Aung, the camp manager.  

“We used to see the doctor at the Tin Nyo rural hospital in the past. We were provided free healthcare services. Now there is no doctor at the Tin Nyo rural hospital,” he explained, adding that the doctor had moved to another hospital, but so far no one has replaced him. 

Six sick people and a 2-year-old boy suffering from dermatitis at Pipinyin IDP camp in Mrauk-U Township, which hosts more than 2,000 IDPs, are also having difficulty receiving medical treatment, said U Kyaw Mya Thein, a camp official. 

“No organisation comes here to provide healthcare services. A staffer from the Department of Public Health visits here once a month. We are concerned for the child suffering dermatitis,” he added. 

A 73-year-old woman with gastritis at the camp died last month after a long illness. 

“We will not be able to go to the camps where hostilities between the Tatmadaw and Arakan Army are ongoing to offer healthcare services to the IDPs,” said Dr. Soe Win Paing, assistant director of the Arakan State Department of Public Health. “Normally, we provide healthcare services twice a month. We have taken samples from the sick people for medical examination.” 

In Arakan State, there were 1,528 COVID-19 cases, 1,093 patients discharged from hospitals and three fatalities through September 30, according to the Ministry of Health and Sports.