Myanmar health system on brink of collapse

Myanmar’s healthcare network is teetering on the edge of collapse after five years of civil war, with doctors warning they “feel like we are failing” as shortages and attacks intensify.

Since the military coup in 2021, thousands of health workers have joined the resistance, often treating patients in jungle clinics and refugee camps. But the toll has been immense. One doctor, Elle*, described sacrificing her career and income to serve the pro‑democracy movement, yet struggling to support her parents. “We did everything we could for our country,” she said. “But for ourselves and our families, we feel like we are failing.”

The World Health Organization verified 70 attacks on healthcare sites in 2025, causing 148 deaths and 186 injuries. Military blockades have left hospitals without basic supplies such as antibiotics, IV fluids and malaria tests, triggering a resurgence of preventable diseases. Clinics in contested regions have been repeatedly targeted by airstrikes, according to international monitors.

Dr Andrew Green of the British Medical Association said violations of medical neutrality had led to the “complete destruction of medical services” in parts of the country. Data from Insecurity Insight show nearly 2,000 incidents of violence against healthcare staff since 2021, with 932 workers arrested and 175 killed.

The conflict has claimed more than 100,000 lives overall, with the junta regaining limited ground this year through new conscripts and weapons supplies. Yet the humanitarian fallout is vast: over 16 million people now require life‑saving assistance, according to the WHO.

Even before the war, Myanmar had only one health worker per 1,000 people. Today, many have fled or suspended practice, leaving communities dangerously exposed. For doctors like Elle, the struggle is both professional and personal. She gave birth in a refugee clinic, endured postnatal depression, and saw her husband arrested. “Doctors see death,” she said. “But when I see dying from this war, especially children, it hurts. Now that I’m a mother, it could be my son.”

*Name changed for safety.

-2026-07-26