Myanmar’s collapsing health system puts the region at risk

Mizzima

Myanmar’s devastating civil war is creating a public health emergency that threatens not only millions of people inside the country but also neighbouring Bangladesh, India and Thailand. The destruction of medical facilities, the flight of healthcare workers and deep cuts in international aid have left the country increasingly vulnerable to dangerous infectious diseases, according to a report published by Think Global Health.

Since the military seized power in February 2021, Myanmar’s healthcare system has deteriorated dramatically. Once making progress in improving public health, the country is now struggling to contain diseases including cholera, malaria and tuberculosis, while millions of children have missed essential vaccinations.

The consequences are becoming increasingly difficult to contain within Myanmar’s borders.

The report estimates that the number of doctors and other healthcare providers has fallen from approximately 18 per 10,000 people before the coup to just three today. Medical professionals have fled abroad or been displaced internally, while hospitals and clinics have been damaged or destroyed during the fighting.

A devastating earthquake in March 2025, which killed nearly 5,000 people and affected more than 600 healthcare facilities, accelerated the crisis. Almost a year later, around 300,000 people still lacked access to healthcare, compounded by restrictions on aid deliveries, attacks on medical facilities and the withdrawal of international funding.

Cholera has re-emerged, with a new outbreak reported since August 2026 following outbreaks in 2024 and 2025. The World Health Organization has warned that the earlier outbreak may have spread into India.

Malaria is another growing concern. Cases have at least tripled since the war began, and as much as 70 per cent of Myanmar’s population is now at risk. More worryingly, drug-resistant malaria parasites are becoming dominant in parts of the country and are spreading across borders into India and Thailand. Regular malaria is also crossing into Bangladesh.

Thailand recorded 16,675 malaria cases in 2023, compared with just 2,000 in 2021. More than 40 per cent of the 2023 cases were imported, primarily from Myanmar, illustrating how the collapse of public health in one country can quickly become a regional problem.

Other diseases are also resurging. Tuberculosis has increased by nearly 50 per cent during the conflict, reaching an estimated 260,000 cases annually. Myanmar has also recorded a vaccine-derived polio case, while diphtheria and dengue fever are rising. An estimated 1.5 million children under five have missed basic immunisations in recent years.

Poverty is making matters worse. The report estimates that up to half the population now lives in poverty, while a third experiences hunger. Families are increasingly forced to choose between buying food and purchasing essential medicines.

International assistance has fallen sharply despite the worsening emergency. In 2025, US funding for Myanmar was reduced from 30 per cent of total aid funding in 2024 to just 3 per cent. The United Nations requested US$1.4 billion for humanitarian assistance in 2025 but received only a quarter of that amount. For 2026, donors have contributed less than half of the reduced US$890 million appeal.

The report warns that Myanmar’s health emergency is being neglected at a dangerous cost. Although the military’s restrictions and the insecurity of the conflict make aid delivery difficult, withdrawing assistance risks allowing preventable diseases to spread further.

Without renewed international support, cross-border healthcare cooperation and access to essential medicines, Myanmar’s humanitarian catastrophe could develop into a prolonged regional public health crisis.