The United Nations has raised urgent concerns over a deepening health crisis in Myanmar, following a catastrophic 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck the country last Friday. The disaster has resulted in thousands of fatalities, injuries, and missing persons, severely straining the nation’s already fragile health infrastructure. According to Dr. Fernando Thushara, the World Health Organization (WHO) Representative in Myanmar, hospitals are facing significant disruptions, including rapidly depleting medical supplies, widespread power outages, and critical water shortages.
Dr. Thushara warned that the lack of clean water and basic sanitation poses a high risk of disease outbreaks if urgent action is not taken to stabilize the situation. Fuel shortages are compounding the crisis by limiting the operation of power generators that many hospitals and relief operations rely on. Dr. Thushara emphasized that the escalating challenges are jeopardizing the delivery of emergency medical care and increasing the risk of secondary health disasters, particularly in remote and severely affected areas.
In a related briefing, Tom Fletcher, Head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Myanmar, said the international response is being seriously hampered by both underfunding and extensive infrastructure damage. Bridges, roads, and communication networks have been crippled, delaying the arrival of vital aid and personnel to the hardest-hit regions. Julia Rees, Deputy Representative of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), described the rapidly deteriorating conditions on the ground.
She stated that entire communities have been destroyed, leaving families to shelter outdoors without access to food, clean water, or safe shelter. “Children are particularly vulnerable in these circumstances, and the needs are escalating by the hour,” she said. Humanitarian workers are currently operating under extremely difficult conditions, often without electricity or proper sanitation, and in many cases are sleeping alongside displaced communities in open areas. Despite these challenges, relief teams continue to deliver assistance, albeit on a limited scale.
Rees cautioned that the opportunity for a meaningful lifesaving response is shrinking as conditions worsen. The UN has reiterated its appeal for immediate international support to fund emergency response operations and ensure the delivery of essential supplies. The earthquake has brought an already volatile humanitarian situation to a critical point, underscoring the urgent need for coordinated global action to prevent a secondary disaster driven by disease, hunger, and exposure. – By MENA Newswire News Desk.