December 14, 2018
The Rohingya Refugee Crisis: Stories Of Survival
Doctors of the World has been working in Myanmar with at risk communities such as drug users and sex workers since 1991
2,500
Provided with antiretroviral treatment
12,500
Attended our educational workshops
1 million
Condoms distributed
Around a quarter of a million people are infected with HIV in Myanmar
While access to antiretroviral treatment is increasing across the country, almost 50,000 people are still in urgent need of it. The main communities affected by HIV in Myanmar are people who inject drugs and sex workers. These groups are often discriminated against by mainstream society and Myanmar’s public health system, making it extremely difficult for them to access the care that they need.
Drug Users
In Kachin state, Doctors of the World works with people who inject drugs to prevent the transmission of infectious diseases. Around 23% of people who inject drugs in Myanmar have HIV, and only 22% have received HIV testing and are aware of their results. In Kachin state, ongoing violence and conflict has often caused instability in accessing the necessary preventative treatment for HIV and other diseases transmitted through drug use.
Our teams currently manage 4 health clinics where we organize educational workshops on antiretroviral treatment. In 2017 we were able to reach 8,564 users with our harm reduction activities. In addition we also screened 2,683 drug users for HIV and provided 1,943 people with antiretroviral treatment.
Sex Workers
Doctors of the World has been working with sex workers in Yangon since 2014. 15% of sex workers in Myanmar have HIV, one of the highest rates in Southeast Asia, but only 45% receive testing for the disease. We work out of mobile clinics to provide preventative material, screenings and treatment for HIV positive women and men.
We also have a fixed clinic where we provide antiretroviral treatment that sees over 1,000 people every year. In addition to receiving treatment, patients can also access counseling and be screened for other diseases such as tuberculosis. In 2017 we provided 3,801 sex workers with access to preventative treatment, screened 2,904 people, and placed 1,068 people on antiretroviral treatment.
Rohingya Refugee Crisis
In August 2017, Myanmar’s military launched widespread and deadly attacks on the Rohingya ethnic minority living in Rahkine state
AN ESTIMATED 288 VILLAGES WERE BURNED TO THE GROUND WHILE THE MILITARY COMMITTED MASS ATROCITIES, INCLUDING THE SYSTEMATIC MURDER AND RAPE OF ENTIRE ROHINGYA COMMUNITIES
The ongoing violence has forced more than 800,000 Rohingya to flee across the border into Bangladesh, where many are now residing in squalid refugee camps with little access to food, water or medical care.
In Bangladesh, Doctors of the World has partnered with Bangladeshi NGO Gonoshasthaya Kendra (GK) to assess and respond to the needs of the Rohingyas living in Bangladesh’s border refugee camps. We are also supporting the Bangladeshi government’s efforts to provide medical care to the refugees, including primary and mental healthcare for those who have witnessed or experienced extreme violence. Along with our national partners, Doctors of the World has set up medical clinics in the camps and is currently serving around 700 patients a day. Read more about our work with the Rohingya here.