The burnt remains inside the Doctors Without Borders office in Buthidaung following increased conflict in the area. Rakhine state, Myanmar, 15 April 2024. ©MSF
The burnt remains inside the Doctors Without Borders office in Buthidaung following increased conflict in the area. Rakhine state, Myanmar, 15 April 2024.©MSF
For almost six months, Doctors Without Borders has witnessed indiscriminate violence in Rakhine state, severe restrictions on humanitarian access, and a near-total decimation of the healthcare system. We have also been unable to run medical activities in the northern and central parts of the state due to a combination of violence and not receiving travel authorisation from the relevant authorities. This authorisation is required for us to conduct our 25 mobile clinics that provide essential medical services to people living in rural areas and often dependent on these clinics for their access to healthcare.
The number of monthly outpatient consultations Doctors Without Borders is providing to people in Rakhine state has dropped from 6,684 in September 2023 to just 81 in March 2024. These 81 consultations were all done via telephone as we no longer have direct access to patients.
At the start of November 2023, we were able to facilitate some emergency referrals for critical patients who needed access to a hospital for more specialised care, but this has since become more difficult because of the violence. There are reports of deaths, especially among women in labour, who could not reach hospitals. Doctors Without Borders teams have recorded nine maternal deaths or stillbirth cases between November 2023 and March 2024.
In one case on 4 February, a pregnant Rohingya woman and her baby reportedly died after being forced to return to Kyein Ni Pyin camp (located on an island in Pauktaw Township) because she was not granted entry at Sittwe. Entry to Sittwe is needed to continue the journey to Sittwe General hospital. Doctors Without Borders' facilitation of emergency referrals is a lifesaving service that Rohingya people depend on due to the severe restrictions imposed on their freedom of movement.
The burnt remains inside the Doctors Without Borders office in Buthidaung following increased conflict in the area. Rakhine state, Myanmar, 15 April 2024.©MSF
In March, both the Maungdaw and Buthidaung hospitals in northern Rakhine stopped functioning. These two hospitals were where Doctors Without Borders was referring patients to in northern Rakhine, and their closure means more than one million people now have no options for emergency or advanced healthcare, including services for complicated pregnancies. The forced closure and targeting of health facilities, and the blocking of people’s access to health facilities, are unacceptable.
All communities in Rakhine state have been adversely impacted by years of armed conflict, related socio-economic challenges, and restriction on movements. We are gravely concerned for the welfare of Rohingya communities who, due to their lack of legal status and restrictions imposed on their freedom of movement, are being confronted with unimaginable choices for their survival.
This article is available in Burmese. Click to read.
