Interview
Border News Agency
Paletwa, September 18.

In Paletwa Township, which is under the control of the Arakan Army (AA), some displaced people have reportedly died from seasonal flu.

In addition, they say there is a need for food, clothing, and healthcare services.

For this reason, Border News Agency contacted a local resident of Paletwa Township for comments.

“Right now, job opportunities in Paletwa Township have become scarce, and there’s no income. At such a difficult time, it’s not easy for patients with serious health problems to afford going to a clinic or hospital.”

“If you go to the Mizoram side, the travel expenses are higher than the cost of medicines.”

“If you go to the Rakhine side, the travel expenses cost more than the medicines themselves.”

“In past months, when going to the Rakhine side for medical treatment, there were times when people couldn’t travel by car or motorbike, and when boats couldn’t be used either, they had to walk on foot or carry patients on their backs.”

“Some died halfway on the way without ever reaching the Rakhine side.”

“Some also died on the way while trying to go to the Indian side for treatment.”

“And some died even after reaching this side, while being rushed in emergency conditions.”

“Most of the time, people are in very serious, life-threatening conditions when they travel, so many end up dying on the way before ever reaching a hospital or clinic.”

“For ordinary, less severe illnesses, they usually don’t go to hospitals or clinics because when travel expenses and medical costs are so high, they face financial difficulties and simply can’t afford to go.”

“They only travel when the condition becomes critical and life-threatening, but by then, many die before they can reach the hospital or clinic.”

“As far as I know, this year there has been one such death in the lower part of Paletwa Township, and two in the upper part.”

“With the limited communication I have, since phone connections don’t reach everywhere, it’s a bit difficult to speak for the entire township.”

“Even before this, malaria was already widespread in Chin State, so now, when healthcare workers can’t get access to medicines, the situation has worsened and the disease has been spreading even more.”

“Some patients who could have recovered if they had access to medicine — people who shouldn’t have died — are now losing their lives simply because there is no medicine.”

“Seeing all this is truly worrying. When it comes to diarrhea, there are also cases that could be cured with medicine, but besides treatment, there’s also the need for healthcare workers to teach people how to live and eat properly to prevent diarrhea from happening in the first place.”

“For preventive measures, like with malaria, people need to sleep under mosquito nets to avoid getting the disease. These kinds of preventive health practices, as well as health education sessions and awareness campaigns, are not happening because there are no healthcare workers.”

“As a result, people don’t know how to protect themselves or how to prepare, and when they lack this knowledge, diseases tend to spread even more.”

“When diseases start to spread and there’s no medicine to treat them, the overall health situation becomes even worse. For example, with malaria, there’s no one like healthcare workers to guide people on how to sleep and protect themselves to prevent getting infected.”

“As a result, people don’t know how to prevent malaria or how to protect themselves in advance.”

“And once they do get malaria, there’s no medicine available for treatment — which ultimately leads to death.”

“With diseases like dengue fever, it’s the same — there’s no one to teach people how to prevent it in advance because there are no healthcare workers to give that guidance.”

“And when someone actually gets infected, there are no medicines, no doctors, and no medical supplies for treatment. Without these, people end up dying unnecessarily.”

“If this situation continues in the long run, it’s going to be extremely worrying.”

“As I mentioned, in Paletwa Township, there are areas under AA administration as well as areas under the Paletwa Council’s administration.”

“Right now, the malaria and diarrhea outbreaks are occurring in the areas under the Council’s administration. These outbreaks started around August.”

“Within the first ten days of September, three people, including three infants under the age of one, died.”

“The fact that people are dying like this is very alarming. In about ten villages, almost every household has been affected.”

“Most of the cases are among children. Because their immune systems are weaker, they are more vulnerable and easily get sick. Among those who have died, the majority are children.”

“So, in the affected areas, most of those falling sick are children. There are also patients in serious condition right now, and the situation is very concerning.”

“In that region, there is an urgent need for medicines, healthcare workers, and doctors. When there are no medicines or healthcare staff, it leads to deaths.”

“When it comes to healthcare and medical supplies for Paletwa Township, it’s much easier to transport medicines from the Rakhine side.”

“Recently, even in Rakhine, there has been a shortage of medicines, so now it’s no longer easy to transport or purchase medicines from there.”

“As for other needs, even before, Paletwa Township never had enough healthcare workers and doctors. What made it worse was that after the military coup, some healthcare workers joined the CDM (Civil Disobedience Movement).”

“Later on, after the ULA took control of Paletwa Township, all government operations came to a halt. When that happened, healthcare workers stopped receiving their salaries. Because of this both for their livelihood and for their own safety, they relocated and settled in other areas. As a result, Paletwa Township is now left with no doctors and no healthcare workers at all.”

“In both the ULA/AA-controlled areas and the Paletwa Council-controlled areas, they can only provide treatment for simple illnesses like common fevers. For more serious diseases, they can’t provide treatment because they don’t have the necessary medicines.”

“There are also no doctors who can treat those serious illnesses. In such cases, people have to go to India for treatment.”

“Some even have to travel as far as Saw, Yangon, or Mandalay for treatment. Meanwhile, even basic medicines for malaria and diarrhea are currently unavailable for purchase in Paletwa Town.”

“In the past, medicines were brought in from Rakhine. But now, since all supplies in the area have been restricted by military council, medicines can no longer be transported from Rakhine either.”

“In this situation, when malaria outbreaks occur, there are no malaria medicines available. Similarly, when diarrhea spreads, there are no medicines to treat it.”

“This includes Paletwa town as well. If someone gets malaria, they often have to travel to India or other places to receive treatment.”