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 Home Campaigns Burma Education Resource Resources
Health
Health Crisis Since the military regime reasserted direct army rule over Burma in 1988, health services have deteriorated to the point that Burma currently faces a health crisis. In The World Health Report 2000, the World Health Organization (WHO) ranked Burma 190th out of 191 countries on overall health system performance, at the bottom of the list with the Democratic Republic of Congo (188), the Central African Republic (189) and Sierra Leone (191). The junta's human rights violations exacerbate health problems and the consequent suffering of a people lacking access to health care or any other source of relief. Widespread use of forced labour, torture, beatings, rape and warfare with ethnic opposition groups increases the number of people in desperate need of urgent health services. Health Statistics Recent health statistics reveal the scope of Burma's health crisis, in comparison with Thailand and Australia. Life expectancy stood at 55.4 years (2002) in Burma, 71.24 years (2003) in Thailand and 80.13 years (2003) in Australia. The infant mortality rate was 72 for every 1,000 live births (2002) in Burma, 21.83 deaths/1,000 live births (2003) in Thailand and 4.83 deaths/1,000 live births (2003) in Australia. In Burma during 1999, 35% of children under age 5 suffered from protein-energy malnutrition since their diets were deficient in vitamin A, iron and iodine. In many areas of Burma, preventable and treatable maladies such as malnutrition and malaria are rife, with outbreaks of the plague still reported. Health Expenditure The Burmese regime allocates limited funding and resources to the health sector, another important factor contributing to the health crisis. Public health is an important factor in the development of a country, and cannot be financially neglected. Nevertheless, current health spending accounts for only 4% of the entire national budget, whilst 40% goes to the military. According to United Nations (UN) statistics, the junta spends 222% more on military expenses than it does on health and education combined, spending only US $1.25 per person per year on both health and education. Health care expenditure in 1999 was a mere US $0.60 per capita, although the World Bank's recommended minimum is twenty times this amount. These figures may actually underestimate military spending, as the regime continually expands its army. This small health expenditure leaves the generals in charge to pursue their own goals appearing to have little to do with Burma's long-term well-being. Burma has one of the largest armies in Asia although it has no external enemies. Health Education Censorship is one of the main obstacles to obtaining health education in Burma. The Burmese people are neither informed nor educated regarding health issues, and they have no voice in how these problems are addressed or if they are addressed at all. The freedom to organise, participate and express oneself through nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) remains far from the reach of the people of Burma; as a result, opportunities for responding to the health crisis through this sector of society do not exist. Until Burma establishes a responsible and accountable democratic government, significant change in the health sector is unlikely. A further consequence of the Burmese health crisis manifests itself in the country's exponential increase in cases of HIV/AIDS. According to UN estimates, in 1999 Burma had 530,000 cases of HIV/AIDS--2% of the population--with 48,000 deaths resulting from the disease. Clearly, the astounding magnitude of this situation qualifies it as an epidemic. Most people in Burma do not know anything about HIV/AIDS, nor can they access any treatment for the disease. Only 25 towns and cities throughout Burma offer public services for sexually transmitted diseases, a country with a population of 52.4 million people. Many individuals contract HIV/AIDS through use of intravenous drugs, for Burma has one of the highest heroin addiction rates in the world, with the number of addicts estimated at over 500,000. Moreover, a shocking 57% of intravenous drug users are believed to be HIV positive. The ruling military elite is noted for its corruption and involvement in the illicit drugs trade. Reports indicate the military junta involves itself in all aspects of the drug trade, and therefore reducing the problem does not rank high as one of their priorities. Burma is responsible for the production of more illegal opium and heroin than any other country in the world. 1. Why is public health an important factor in the development of a country? 2. Why is the freedom to organise, participate and express oneself through nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) not recognised in Burma, how does this contribute to the health crisis and how might Burma's health situation be different today if these freedoms were recognised? 3. What is an epidemic, and why does the HIV/AIDS crisis in Burma qualify as one? 4. What is a health crisis, and why does Burma currently face one? 5. What policies could the Burmese regime have implemented to prevent the health crisis, and what policies can they now implement to resolve it? 6. How might Burma be different today without a health crisis? 7. What is the explanation behind Burma's recent health statistics, how do they compare to Thailand and Australia and what do the statistics reveal about each country's health situation? 8. Why are preventable and treatable maladies so prevalent in Burma, and what policies can the regime implement to reduce this problem? 9. How do the regime's brutal acts of repression and human rights violations exacerbate health problems? 10. Why does the junta allocate limited funding to the health sector, how does this contribute to the health crisis and how might Burma be different today with more health spending? 11. Why is the national budget so lopsided toward spending on the military in comparison to health and education spending, and what would be a more developmental budget? 12. Why are the Burmese people uninformed and uneducated regarding health issues, how does this contribute to the health crisis and what might happen if they were educated? 13. What policies and actions can the regime take to educate the Burmese people about health issues? 14. Why does Burma currently experience an exponential increase in cases of HIV/AIDS and what polices can the regime implement to deal with the crisis? 15. Why are intravenous drugs so prevalent in Burma, how does this contribute to the HIV/AIDS epidemic and what actions can the regime take to reduce the problem? Activities 1. Complete an assignment on why the Burmese people are uninformed and uneducated regarding health issues. Create counterfactual scenarios for what might happen if they were educated. Devise policies and actions the regime can take to educate the Burmese people about health issues. Design health education programs, pamphlets and posters that would inform the Burmese people about health issues in their country and abroad. 2. Complete an assignment on the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Burma. Devise policies the Burmese regime could have implemented to prevent the crisis, and policies they can now implement to resolve it. Compare and contrast the Burmese HIV/AIDS problem with that of another country, and your own country. 4. Complete an assignment on how the regime's brutal acts of repression and human rights violations exacerbate health problems. 5. Complete an assignment on the causes and effects of the Burmese national budget allocations, and devise counterfactual budget scenarios. Compare and contrast the Burmese national budget allocations with that of another country, and your own country. 6. Organise classroom discussion and debate representing both sides of the national budget allocations in Burma. 7. Complete an assignment on why the freedom to organise, participate and express oneself through nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) is not recognised in Burma. Examine how this contributes to the health crisis. Devise counterfactual scenarios for how Burma's health situation might be different today if these freedoms were recognised. 8. Allocate groups to research specific areas of the HIV/AIDS epidemic (infants, children, teenagers, women, men, intravenous drugs, health education, health care) and give speech presentations on their findings. 9. Complete an assignment on the use of intravenous drugs in Burma, and how this contributes to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Devise policies and actions the regime can take to reduce the problem. Web Sites |
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