Aid workers said that many internally displaced people (IDPs) in Arakan (Rakhine) State are unable to access healthcare due to financial constraints. Rising prices for basic goods and medicines are making it harder for them to afford both food and medical care.
“Displaced people don’t usually seek healthcare from aid organizations on their own, as transportation is difficult and communication is poor. Sometimes, emergency patients can only receive treatment when an aid group happens to be visiting their village,” an aid worker in Gwa Township said.
Medicine prices across Arakan State have more than doubled since the fighting began. A 10-pill card of Decolgen, a widely used painkiller, now costs 6,000 MMK; Biogesic is 4,000 MMK per card; and Paracetamol is around 1,000 MMK per card. Prices are reportedly higher in southern Arakan compared to the north.
With little or no income, many displaced people are unable to seek hospital or clinic care when they fall ill, and some are dying as a result.
"If I have to buy medicine when I’m sick, it costs at least 3,000 MMK for just one dose. With my usual daily income, I have to think twice before buying medicine because then I wouldn’t have enough left for food. If I just have a runny nose or a cough, I try to tough it out without taking any medicine,” said a displaced woman in Kyauktaw Township.
The ongoing conflict, combined with limited job opportunities, has pushed people across Arakan State into deeper economic hardship.
Many displaced people survive through sporadic, exhausting day labour near their shelters, while others rely entirely on food donations.
“Some displaced people don’t go to clinics because they can’t afford it, so they take medicine on their own without consulting a doctor and end up suffering through their illness. Others only get to the clinic after passing out from a high fever, and by then, it’s often too late to receive proper treatment,” another aid worker explained.
Nearly 600,000 displaced people in Arakan State face numerous hardships. Airstrikes and artillery attacks by the junta have left them in a state of constant fear, feeling unsafe both physically and mentally.
