MSF reports violence in western Myanmar preventing delivery of medical services

Nov 7 2012

Ongoing ethnic tension and sectarian violence in areas of western Myanmar are preventing Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) from delivering medical care in the region, the group said on Monday, the New York Times reports. The group "reported that many of its local staff members were afraid to work at refugee camps and medical centers in Rakhine State, where people wounded in clashes need treatment for wounds from guns, knives, arrows and other weapons," the newspaper writes. "Aid workers have reported severe malnutrition among children and widespread malaria," according to the New York Times (Fuller, 11/5). "[S]ince the outbreak of violence in June, MSF is operating at a fraction of its capacity due to access limitations largely stemming from threats and intimidation," the organization said in a press release, adding, "Tens of thousands of long-term residents, previously receiving medical care, have gone without care for months." In the press release, MSF "calls for unhindered access and for tolerance of the provision of medical care to all those who need it" in the region (11/5).