Medicine shortages, lack of healthcare staff worsen hardship in Thandwe Twsp

By Admin 05 Sep 2026

DMG Newsroom

5 September 2026, Thandwe

Local residents in Thandwe Township, Arakan State, which is being targeted by continuous military junta airstrikes, are facing severe healthcare hardships due to acute medicine shortages and a scarcity of healthcare personnel, according to local sources.

In addition to the scarcity of medicine, prices have nearly doubled. Patients with chronic illnesses are facing particular difficulties, as they cannot easily purchase the routine medications they require on a daily basis.

“People who rely on continuous medication, like those with diabetes or hypertension, face immense difficulty finding medicine once their supplies run out. Clinics do not have them available when patients visit. When they take prescriptions to pharmacies, most shops are out of stock. Even at stores that do have stock, a pack of medicine that normally costs K2,000 now has to be purchased for K4,000,” said a local woman in Thandwe Township.

Local residents in Thandwe Township previously relied on mainland Myanmar, including Ayeyarwady Region, for food and medical supplies. However, following battles to capture towns across Arakan State, relying on mainland Myanmar is no longer possible.

Thandwe Township now depends primarily on northern townships in Arakan State for essential medicines and food. Due to transportation difficulties, local residents are suffering from steeply rising prices.

Since June, the military junta has conducted relentless airstrikes on Thandwe Township, leading to a rising toll of civilian casualties.

Due to the shortage of medicines, scarcity of healthcare personnel and poor accessibility to hospitals and clinics, some emergency patients have died en route to medical facilities.

“Hospitals in the Thandwe area cannot operate openly in public view. People traveling from distant areas sometimes bleed out and lose their lives along the way. Even for those living nearby who manage to reach a hospital or clinic, they encounter problems such as absent doctors or insufficient nursing staff,” said a local resident familiar with the situation on the ground.

In addition to the overall shortage of healthcare personnel in Thandwe Township, local residents noted that while the former district-level Thandwe Hospital previously had around five doctors, only one doctor remains at present.

During July and August, the military junta conducted at least 30 airstrikes in Thandwe Township, resulting in more than 100 civilian casualties.