Yangon Division Health Care Update

U.N. agencies and two dozen or more international relief groups are part of the official “health cluster” operating in Myanmar that is providing care to Cyclone Nargis survivors and is treating the subsequent diseases and sicknesses brought on in the aftermath. Many other doctors and health practitioners are operating independently on an ad-hoc basis, according to published reports. According to the World Health Organization, about 50% of the health centers in the affected areas were damaged or destroyed by the cyclone.

Needs for medical and psychological care are dramatic due to the remoteness of many areas and the damages to the transportation infrastructure. Much of the Irrawaddy Delta area affected by the cyclone is endemic with Malaria, a mosquito-borne disease that claims a million lives annually. Dysentery, cholera, dengue, leptospirosis and snakebites are other health worries, along with injuries and scrapes suffered during the high winds and storm surge. Some reports make mention of people who were swept miles from their homes and yet were still able to survive.

In addition to the physical trauma and affliction from disease, the WHO anticipates 30-50% of the cyclone affected population could suffer psychological distress, based on the WHO’s experience with other disaster relief operations. WHO has provided financial and operational support to 350 rapid response teams and medical teams of the Ministry of Health, Myanmar. The government reportedly claims that 122 teams local medical teams are operating.

Following up on our compilation of reports on the Irrawaddy Division, in this report we focus on Yangon (Rangoon) Division. According to one report, Hlaing Tharyar, North and South Dagon, Shwepyithar, Dawpone, Dala, Seikkyi Kanaungdo, Thanlyin and Kyauktan areas were among the hardest hit by the cyclone.

Health Care Update on Myanmar’s Irrawaddy Delta

While at least a million severely affected people in the Irrawaddy Delta are trying to scrape together proper shelter and supplies of food, health care workers in the Irrawaddy Division are bracing for potentially deadly disease outbreaks. Many survivors of Cyclone Nargis are, no doubt, still seeking care for injuries suffered during the storm as well as sicknesses brought on by days of exposure to the torrential rains of the monsoon season. Health care services in the Irrawaddy Delta have been pieced together from the remnants of staff from local township hospitals along with Ministry of Health staff, staff from Yangon General Hospital and other hospitals, local healthcare workers from NGOs and international teams of doctors from around the region. While medical teams from NGOs and regional countries continue to stream into the country, the entire health care system of Yangon and the Irrawaddy is no doubt undergoing serious strain.

Take for example Yangon General Hospital’s staff of roughly 278 doctors and over 400 nurses (as per figures from the Yangon City website). The hospital’s cardiac and cancer wards were reportedly destroyed in the storm, with roofs covering other sections of the hospital being damaged. In addition to handling the afflicted among Yangon‘s population of 5 to 6 million people,

Myanmar Irrawaddy Delta Updates – The Control of Movement

Control of movement seems to be the theme of the day. Some aid workers are blocked access to areas, while others are allowed in. Refugees arriving in towns are asked to move on or go back home. We’ve even heard that people providing shelter to refugees in Yangon and elsewhere have been warned against continuing such activity (edit: this report is also echoed here, with a mention of threat of prosecution for providing shelter). The destruction of many boats in the cyclone has complicated the difficulties with the transport system. It would seem boat entry is the solution to getting around road blocks, and others have concluded boat delivery will be key to aid delivery (see below).

Irrawaddy Delta News

– Several medical teams from Doctors Without Borders were ordered out of the Irrawaddy Delta on Monday.

– The country director in Myanmar for Save the Children reported that trucks and helicopters would be insufficient to deliver aid. “It’s clear that the vast majority of people will have to be reached by boat,” said. As mentioned in earlier posts, the military reportedly only has 5 working helicopters.

Laputta

Checkpoints manned by armed police were set up Tuesday on roads leading to the Irrawaddy River delta and all international aid workers