Paletwa Hospital in Chin state, Burma is facing an acute shortage of doctors and hospital equipment putting patients in severe difficulties.
“There are only two doctors on duty in the hospital. One doctor is a dentist and another doctor is on duty three months at a time in the hospital. They are not on duty on a full time basis,” said a local from Paletwa.
Most patients in Paletwa are heading for Sittwe town in Arakan state for Ultrasound, X-ray and surgery because of a lack of equipment in Paletwa hospital, said a pastor in Paletwa.
“Most local patients cannot go to Sittwe hospital for treatment because of financial crisis. They have to go to Sittwe even if they want an X-ray done,” said a local.
The hospital in Paletwa has only 25 beds. There are 401 villages in Paletwa Township, southern Chin state and 50 villagers are dependent on Paletwa hospital.
There are only 24 hospitals for an estimated population of about 500,000 people in a total of 1,355 villages in Chin State, the poorest of Burma’s 14 states and divisions, according to the Annual Hospital Statistics Report published in March 2010 by the Ministry of Health. Most hospitals have not received financial support for medical equipment and facilities to treat patients. Khonumthung news