Rakhine State is grappling with its most severe medicine shortage to date, putting the lives of patients with chronic illnesses at critical risk, according to local media reports. The scarcity predominantly impacts individuals suffering from neurological disorders, cardiovascular diseases, liver and kidney conditions, leukemia, and throat cancer. Since the resumption of fighting in late 2023, the junta has enforced a blockade of road and waterway transport routes into Rakhine State, leading to this dire situation.
Previously, the Arakan Army (AA) controlled most of northern Rakhine State and imported essential supplies like food, pharmaceuticals, and fuel from India. The Arakan Army (AA) transported these supplies to Paletwa in Chin State before delivering them to Rakhine State. However, the Central Young Lai Association, an Indian civil society organization based in Mizoram, blockaded this crucial trade route at the end of June 2024. The blockade aims to pressure the AA into leaving Chin State, resulting in a halt to all imports via this route.
The blockade has left not only the small-scale hospitals and clinics run by the AA without medicines but also exacerbated staff shortages, particularly of doctors. The humanitarian organization Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has had to suspend its operations in northern Rakhine State following arson attacks on its warehouses, worsening the crisis.
In a statement released on July 16, MSF said: “This June 2024, Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) was forced to indefinitely suspend its medical humanitarian activities in northern Rakhine following the extreme escalation of conflict and burning down of MSF’s office in Buthidaung Township.” Despite these challenges, MSF has committed to maintaining minimal services in central parts of Rakhine State, though access restrictions and the violent conflict continue to pose significant obstacles.
The ongoing conflict and resultant blockade have created a dire health crisis in Rakhine State, with patients suffering from chronic diseases bearing the brunt of the medicine shortages. The international community watches closely as humanitarian efforts struggle to mitigate the unfolding disaster.
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