Maternal and newborn deaths reported in western Myanmar amid healthcare shortages
Maternal and newborn deaths continue to be reported across western Myanmar’s Rakhine (Arakan) State amid severe shortages of medicine and nutritious food, deepening financial hardship and limited access to healthcare, according to local sources.
At least five maternal deaths during childbirth or in the immediate postpartum period were recorded in October across Mrauk-U, Kyauktaw, Rathedaung, Gwa and Kyaukphyu townships.
“From the very beginning of their pregnancies, they face severe nutritional deficiencies. Even if they manage to eat, it is often just a single measure of rice,” said Ko Naing Lin Tun, a charity worker in Kyaukphyu Township.
“There is nothing nutritious available for the mother or the child. Many expectant mothers cannot even afford basic supplements like folic acid as their pregnancy progresses.
“When it finally comes time to give birth, many struggle to deliver, and even if babies are born, they often suffer from disabilities or fail to survive,” he added.
“Last month, we had to perform funerals for both a mother and her baby who died under these exact circumstances.”
Financial barriers prevent many expectant mothers from maintaining adequate diets or affording routine prenatal checkups and hospital deliveries.
Combined with acute shortages of essential medicines, these gaps have left pregnant women and newborns increasingly vulnerable, with local sources reporting multiple cases of infants dying before receiving medical care.
International aid agencies and local civil society groups also face operational constraints in delivering maternal and prenatal services, leaving widespread humanitarian needs unmet at the community level.
Meanwhile, the healthcare crisis is being compounded by ongoing Myanmar military airstrikes on civilian areas, including medical facilities and public markets.
On Nov. 1, a junta airstrike struck a temporary maternity clinic in Mrauk-U, killing five people—including a newborn baby—and injuring nine others.
“In our area, we also see newborn deaths occurring, not necessarily from malnutrition, but from delayed medical treatment,” said a humanitarian worker assisting displaced people in Gwa Township.
“This is due to the remote distances required to reach hospitals and clinics, as well as the inability to afford medical care.”
Grassroots charity groups say they frequently struggle to respond to obstetric emergencies due to a lack of ambulances, communication delays, and critical blood shortages, contributing to preventable fatalities.
Residents documented several fatal cases in October alone. On Oct. 26—the day marking the end of Buddhist Lent—a woman in Pyinhla village, Kyauktaw Township, died at home from severe postpartum hemorrhage after being unable to reach a hospital or clinic.f
“She gave birth at home because she could not travel to a hospital or clinic, and she tragically passed away from excessive bleeding during the delivery,” said a female resident of Kyauktaw Township.
Earlier in October, a woman in Kyeeyarpyin village, Mrauk-U Township, also died hours after a home birth, though her baby survived.
In Tunyawai village, Rathedaung Township, a mother gave birth to twins, but one infant fell ill and died before reaching a hospital.
Similar fatalities have been reported in Taungup and Kyaukphyu townships, underscoring the deepening crisis in maternal and child healthcare across Rakhine State.
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