Rural healthcare facilities in Arakan State run short of pharmaceuticals

By DMG 18 Nov 2022

DMG Newsroom
November 18 2022, Sittwe

Pharmaceuticals are in short supply across rural parts of Arakan State and cottage hospitals are running out of medicine due to the regime’s blockades of roads and waterways in the state’s north, according to local residents and doctors from rural healthcare facilities.

The regime has imposed strict travel restrictions in Buthidaung, Maungdaw, Kyauktaw, Rathedaung, Minbya, Mrauk-U and Pauktaw townships, making it almost impossible for locals to travel to the Arakan State capital Sittwe to buy medicines.

“Pharmaceuticals will run out sooner or later. We can’t travel to Sittwe. And you might have heard about what is happening on the Yangon-Sittwe road. Stocks are running low. Some suppliers who have hoarded medicines are selling at higher prices,” said a pharmacist from a village in Kyauktaw Township.

A doctor from a cottage hospital in Ponnagyun Township said the hospital is currently only providing healthcare services for emergency patients using its remaining stock of medicines, with those supplies likely to last less than two weeks.

“We can’t go to either Sittwe or Ponnagyun town due to the blockade. I don’t think the existing stocks will last for two weeks. For the time being, we can only take care of emergency patients, and can’t provide healthcare services for patients with other complaints,” said the doctor.

One doctor at a cottage hospital in Minbya Township reported a situation much the same. “I don’t want to estimate how long the remaining stocks will last. It depends on the number and condition of patients,” said the doctor.

Arakan State purchases the bulk of its medical supplies from Yangon. Local pharmaceutical companies and pharmacies have reported dwindling stocks as the regime has banned the transportation of pharmaceuticals into Arakan State by road since September.

Currently, only a limited supply of pharmaceuticals can be transported into Arakan State by plane, said the manager of a pharmaceutical company based in Sittwe, on condition of anonymity.

“For the time being, we are bringing in pharmaceuticals by plane. We could only order once last month. But then, we could not order as much as we wanted. We could only order 5 million kyats worth of medicine delivered in a box. If the regime bans air transport, we will face a pharmaceuticals shortage,” he said.

DMG was unable to contact Arakan State Security and Border Affairs Minister Colonel Kyaw Thura and junta spokesman Major-General Zaw Min Tun to ask about regime restrictions on pharmaceutical shipments into Arakan State.