Arakan State’s IDPs in need of healthcare services

By Admin 06 Jun 2024

DMG Newsroom
6 June 2024, Sittwe

Internally displaced people (IDPs) in Arakan State urgently need healthcare services as they are suffering from cold, malaria and seasonal flu amid the seasonal changes.

More than 20 people are suffering from malaria and seasonal flu at the Ahtet Myat Hle displacement camp in Ponnagyun Township. More than 700 people are taking shelter at the camp.

“Many people are sick, and not all of them can test for malaria. Mosquito nets are ragged, so it is not uncommon that people are bitten by mosquitoes,” said a camp manager.

Financial difficulties put a doctor visit out of reach for most IDPs.

Many people displaced by fighting between Myanmar’s military regime and the Arakkha Army (AA) since November have had to live in makeshift shelters near forests and in fields.

“It is quite troublesome for us when it is wet. We have to cook in the wet. We don’t feel clean. We are a big family, but we have to sleep together under a single mosquito net. We have financial difficulties and we can’t afford medicines,” said a displaced woman from Sittwe Township.

Many displaced people are still in temporary shelter arrangements despite the onset of the monsoon season.

Consumer goods and pharmaceuticals are dwindling in Arakan State and their prices have soared due to a junta blockade.

Pregnant women and children under two years are left without access to important vaccinations due to closures of hospitals and clinics, and shortages of medicines.

“I am worried because my baby has not received any vaccination. It is easy to get sick in the rainy season. However, we can barely receive any healthcare services. I urge concerned organisations to provide healthcare services for us,” said a displaced mother from Kyauktaw Township.

More than 160,000 people have been displaced by the fighting over the past six months, and many desperately need food, shelter, drinking water and medicines.