don't get sick. if you are a westerner and you do, head to Bangkok. it would be a mild understatement to say that healthcare in Myanmar is suffering badly from fifty years of neglect. the WHO [World Health Organization] ranked Myanmar dead last out of 190 countries for overall care. malaria is the leading cause of mortality and TB rates are estimated to be three times the global rate.
i've already bitched about how you can't buy aspirin over the counter at a pharmacy, how 40% of the bottled water is still considered unsafe to drink and how the bandaids [plasters] only stick to your skin for about 5 minutes. but that's nothing compared to what i stumbled across one day as i was in a building looking for an office. it was a private pay clinic and there was an overwhelming sense of death and despair. there were bunk beds with patients lined against the walls and nothing looked sanitized. my heart sunk when i realized this is the healthcare system most citizens have to use.
here's the good news ... the military regime has started to give NGOs access to the country [which they previously did not because they didn't trust them] and they are making a real difference in the lives of the people. i met the USA Director of World Child Cancer and was amazed with the work they are doing to provide diagnosis and treatment to children with cancer in developing countries. READ about how they help and please consider a DONATION to support their efforts.
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