Thai support crucial for building better border health services

Myanmar continues to face a chronic humanitarian crisis, even in ceasefire areas, said Dr Cynthia Maung, founder of Mae Tao Clinic in Tak.

Dr Cynthia: Humanitarian crisis persists

The doctor, who has been providing medical care for Myanmar refugees along the border for more than 20 years, said help is still needed despite recent reforms in her home country.

She expressed disappointment that Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was unable to visit her clinic during her recent trip to the border area.

Nevertheless, Dr Cynthia said Mrs Suu Kyi's visit to Thailand was important as it would have showed her how community organisations have worked with authorities in addressing emergency issues at the border over the past two decades.

"This collaboration [between Thai-Myanmar civil society and local authorities] in health, education, women's issues and child care is a valuable platform for future cooperation between the two countries," Dr Cynthia said.

"As it stands, the economic zones that are growing along the border will create more health problems while the system inside Myanmar is not ready to respond to it."

The Mae Tao Clinic has joined several other organisations in training health workers and volunteers inside Myanmar, particularly to help internally-displaced people in the conflict zones. Many international health and humanitarian support workers have yet to gain full access to the hotspots, including areas which have reached ceasefire agreements, the doctor said.

She stressed the need for Myanmar leaders, including Mrs Suu Kyi, to understand the significance of cross-border partnerships between Thai authorities and civil society organisations, including ethnic minority groups.

"Thailand's experience in building up comprehensive labour management and health service systems is important to us, and support from Thailand is crucial to Myanmar," said Dr Cynthia, who has received several international honours, including the Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership in 2002.

The number of patients seeking medical services at the clinic is increasing by 10-20% each year.

From 2,000 patients in its first year (1989), the number of patients seeking help at the clinic has now reached 420,000 _ half of them cross-border patients. But the clinic has only 400 healthcare staff members (300 are doctors and nurses).

A key indicator of any improvement in the Myanmar government's ability to take better care of health problems along the border would be an increase in the number of visitors to Myawaddy Hospital and a reduction of cases dealt with at the Mae Tao Clinic and Mae Sot Hospital, she said.

"We want to see the Myawaddy authorities assign more power to cooperate with Thailand in improving its own system on issues like communicable disease control, the medical referral system, human resources, training and information sharing," she said.

She said Myanmar's leaders should consider how to strengthen local communities and organisations so these people could help in other important issues, including health and education.

"Right now we can only help train the so-called backpacker health workers in conflict areas where international humanitarian assistance is still not fully accessible," she said.

"The 90 volunteers in such states as Kachin, Karen and Shan are locals trained and supported by kits from Mae Tao Clinic."

She said more organisations, including ethnic minority groups, were working in the health and education fields.

But while Dr Cynthia said this was a positive sign, she added: "What is really needed is a health service infrastructure inside the country."

Source : bangkokpost.com