MoeMaKa, July 17 2022
Newborn babies who can’t get access to immunization, city and rural security conditions
The UN reported that babies born in some parts of Myanmar can’t get access to immunizations supported by organizations such as the World Health Organization to be vaccinated accordingly to months and years after birth. Due to the disaster of the covid infection and the armed conflicts that occurred after the military coup, babies are facing a situation where they are unable to access immunizations such as vaccines for diphtheria, pertussis , measles, tetanus, etc. We can no longer get immunizations in states, divisions, villages and station hospitals where armed conflicts occur. People are forced to flee for weeks or months to remote jungles where there is away from fightings. During these situation, they do not have access to immunizations that are scheduled after birth. Since the CDM was implemented after the military coup, the health care system is facing a situation where the manpower shortage and the districts are no longer able to provide proper care.
There are not many places in the world where babies can’t get immunizations. According to the statistics from 2019 to 2021, the two countries that have no access to immunizations are Mozambique in Africa and Myanmar.
In Myanmar, the number of people who have lost their lives due to the failure of public health care system, which has been nearly destroyed by the covid-19 pandemic and the armed conflict, includes not only children, but also adults and older seniors 60 or older. Although such healthcare and aids organizations has documented loss of their members due to attacks under conflict areas, they can no longer collect the deaths of people who were unable to receive treatment due to failure in health care and a sudden drop in socioeconomic status.
For example, if we think back to the incident last year where thousands of people died due to the covid infection, no one can deny the facts that the deteriorating health care system, curfew orders due to security conditions, economic hardship and lack of access to treatment in addition to the impact of the pandemic have contributed to the loss of life. When the Covid-19 pandemic hit the World and it coincides with the time when there are authoritarian leaders and armed conflicts within their countries, these periods will be recorded in history as dark times with the loss of several lives due to 2 successive disasters; disease and political turmoil.
Another piece of news for today is not new but has a lot of impact. The news are about 5,000 locals from villages of Depayin Township were fleeing due to armed conflicts and similarly, thousands of people from Kyaukkyi Township, Bago Division neighboring to Karen State, were fleeing. Although it is not new as these news are frequently seen, for the people who are suffering first hand, it is a bitter experience that happens only once in their lifetime. They lost their possessions, had to flee for life, and are hoping to get help for survival and foods and they have to receive help from others who are also in difficulty as them in the neighborhood.
When comparing the people from rural areas who have to flee for their lives and those from large cities who are living their daily lives as seemed normal, going about and working, one question is raised that people from large cities sometimes feel bad and have the thought of revolting the military council? When people from rural areas are being suppressed by the military forces, some are wondering those people from urban areas going out normally to earn their living whether they even have a clear conscience? Actually, the proper way to consider is how to prevent people from fleeing for their lives, losing their lives and houses being set on fire. As for the cities that are not being destroyed yet to take part in insurrection simultaneously, theses cities need to have enough preparation, strategies and tactics, and in such condition, success can only be achieved by acting under a single integrated command strategy simultaneously. Incitement to revolt without such planning and command will not lead to victory and will destroy the existing places and food chains.
Therefore, in a condition like this, there is an urgent need to find a way to protect the rural areas and its people.