Thai MoPH has set up special teams to protect the health of people who have fled Myanmar's unrest.

Thai MoPH has set up special teams to protect the health of people who have fled Myanmar's unrest. About 3000 people have recently entered designated safe areas, and Mae Sot Hospital has admitted 32 injured individuals. 

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) in Thailand disclosed that 3,027 individuals displaced from Myanmar due to unrest have entered temporary safe areas in Thailand. Additionally, Mae Sot Hospital has admitted 32 injured individuals for treatment, of which eight are in critical condition. Health authorities in the area have set up special teams for health screening, disease surveillance, prevention and control, first aid, and inspection of water sanitation. To handle the potential of a worsening situation, an emergency response plan for surge capacity in the health workforce, medicine, and medical supplies will be activated.

On April 21, 2024, Dr. Opart Karnkawinpong, the Permanent Secretary of the MoPH, stated that medical care and health service are being provided to individuals who fled from the unrest in Myawaddy to Tak Province. Due to unrest in Myanmar, which has been occurring at the border approximately 2-3 kilometers away from Thailand, more people from Myanmar have been fleeing to temporary safe areas in Mae Sot, Tak Province starting from April 19th. Dr. Pongpol Vorapani, the provincial chief medical officer of the Tak Provincial Public Health Office, and Dr. Ramate Wongwilairat, the Director of Mae Sot Hospital, reported that today, five locations in Tak Province have been arranged to accommodate 3,027 displaced people: 1,128 men, 1,118 women, and 781 children. The hospital has given medical care to 32 individuals who were injured close to the second Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge, with eight of them being in critical condition, 17 having moderate injuries, and 7 having minor injuries. Emergency response plans are already in place at the Mae Sot Hospital.

Dr. Opart further mentioned that due to the ongoing unrest, the number of people who have fled might increase soon. The MoPH is working together with the local government and security agencies, as well as coordinating with NGOs, to provide humanitarian assistance to individuals who have been displaced. Medical and public health teams have been tasked with health screening and surveillance for infectious diseases such as diarrhea, food poisoning, and vector-borne diseases such as malaria. First aid stations, health checks, water sanitation inspection, well-equipped personnel, medications, medical supplies, and equipment, are available for all emergency situations.

************************************April 21, 2024

Translated by Office of International Cooperation, Department of Disease Control, MoPH