Pregnant women in Thandwe struggle to get needed healthcare

By Admin 02 Aug 2024

DMG Newsroom
2 August 2024, Thandwe

Expectant mothers in Thandwe Township, where intense fighting between Myanmar’s military regime and the Arakkha Army (AA) is ongoing, are struggling to access healthcare services due to the closure of hospitals and clinics and transportation barriers, according to aid workers and residents.

Before the battle for control of Thandwe began in April, pregnant women could get vaccinations and healthcare services at hospitals, clinics and rural healthcare centres with relative ease. Today, however, Thandwe Hospital and private clinics are closed.

“Now pregnant mothers are having a hard time. Pregnant mothers are giving birth with the help of traditional birth attendants, which can be life-threatening,” said a pregnant woman.

Many local residents and healthcare workers have fled due to renewed fighting in Arakan State, which began in November 2023 and had made its way to Thandwe by April.

Aid workers estimate that there are more than 50,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) in Thandwe Township, including thousands of pregnant women.

“About 10 percent of IDPs are pregnant women. Pregnant women face various hardships due to the lack of clinics, accommodation and money,” said a female aid worker.

In addition to the destruction of roads and bridges by the regime, flooding in Thandwe Township due to heavy rain over the past few days has made travel and everyday living more difficult for residents and especially those displaced by the conflict.

Adding to the logistical challenges for locals, Myanmar’s military regime blew up the Chinkwin Bridge near Kyeintali Town, which had linked Thandwe and Gwa townships, on July 24 in an apparent bid to prevent AA troops from advancing.

IDPs and pregnant women in Thandwe Township can theoretically go to Kyeintali Hospital in neighbouring Gwa Township if they are sick or for prenatal care, but financial and travel difficulties are often prohibitive.

Highlighting the importance of bridges in riverine Arakan State, a local man said: “Recently, a pregnant woman from Kyaukkhaung Village had hydrocephalus and was unable to give birth, so she was sent to Kyeintali Hospital over the [now-destroyed] Chinkwin Bridge. If the locals encounter emergency situations, it is very worrying for them due to travel barriers.”

Residents across large swaths of war-torn Arakan State are facing health challenges due to shortages of commodities and medicines as a result of junta blockades, as well as rising prices.

The regime has been increasingly targeting hospitals and clinics with airstrikes as it has lost ground to the AA on multiple fronts in Arakan State, and many residents in need of medical treatment are afraid to go to the hospitals and clinics that are still functioning out of concern for their safety.