Mae Tao clinic needs emergency funds

by Nem Davies
Tuesday, 01 December 2009 18:29

New Delhi (Mizzima) - The Mae Tao clinic, which offers free medical service in Mae Sot on the Thai-Burma border to all Burmese people, needs emergency funding, Dr. Cynthia Maung who runs it said.

An increasing number of migrants and patients crossing into Thailand have led to the cash crunch for the free clinic. It has hit health care and education services.

"The number of people who avail of our services is increasing. Similarly in education and child care sectors, we need more funds as the number of child patients is also mounting. All organizations providing education and health care services are facing difficulties due to the fund shortage," Dr. Cynthia Maung told Mizzima.

"We need more donors. Though they are increasing in number but the amount is declining in the backdrop of the global economic downturn as they are cutting their aid fund," she added.

They are facing shortage of fund for their services as there is an annual growth in the number of patients coming to them.

The international organizations have not yet stopped regular funding but the term of some projects have been completed so they had to adjust their expenditure in their overall services.

International donors give funds to Mae Tao clinic once in every five or seven years.

"I don't mean regular funding has declined but health care services and awareness programmes for migrant workers always need funding as the number of patients is increasing and we have to adjust our overall expenditure as some projects have ended," Dr. Cynthia Maung said.

"If this situation remains unchanged, we will face severe shortage of funds in our health care services as the number of patients and migrant workers are increasing," Dr. Cynthia Maung said.

International humanitarian agencies from over 10 countries including United States, Norway, Sweden, Netherlands, Canada, Britain and Italy are currently providing assistance to the clinic.

Following the Clinic was set up in 1989 in the Thai-Burmese border town of Mae Sot, 50 per cent of Burmese migrant workers in Thailand and 50 per cent of Burmese, who crossed over to Thailand, are being treated in the clinic.

Currently, the clinic has a 200-bed hospital and employs about 1,700 staff members in its health care and education services.

Moreover there are over 1,000 daily patients in the Out-patient Department (OPD) ward of the clinic.

Over the last two years, International donor organizations, which are funding Burmese organizations in exile, have channelled more and more of their funds to domestic organizations, leaving exiled Burmese organizations to face a fund crunch in their activities as funding is either being cut or not being increased.

“We don't object to their funding being provided in [inside] Burma. It will be useful and effective if these funds go to the needy people. This way, the number of people coming to border clinics will decrease,” Dr. Cynthia Maung said.

An official of an international aid organization, which provides funds to Burmese organizations in exile, said that it will be a mistake if donors cut or reduce funds to these health care service organizations such as Mae Tao clinic.

Dr. Cynthia Maung was nominated for the 2008 Nobel Peace prize and awarded the Ramon Magsaysay prize in 2002 by the Philippines government. She was also selected as one of the Asian heroes by Times magazine in 2003. She has been awarded a total of 13 international prizes so far for her noble humanitarian work. Former US first lady Laura Bush paid a visit to her and her clinic in August 2008 during her visit to Thailand.

(Edited by Ye Yint Aung)