NEW YORK — During four decades of rule, the Myanmar military has neglected people's health needs to such an extent that it amounts to an attack against the people, whose health status remains one of the most precarious in the region. This is more proof that the military leadership has been more interested in keeping their own privileges than in improving the welfare of the population.
As Dr. Rhona MacDonald recently wrote in The Lancet: "Decades of neglect, civil war and corruption have rendered Myanmar's health system incapable of responding to infectious diseases and other health risks. And as the country closes its doors to more and more aid agencies, the situation only looks set to worsen."
Malaria, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis (TB) are major health problems throughout the country. Almost 90 percent of the country's population is at risk of malaria, which is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the country. What makes the situation particularly serious is that many anti-malarial drugs sold in the country contain substandard levels of active components or no active component at all.