GRAPE VINE
FACING THE TRUTH 11
Source : MYANMAR INFORMATION COMMITTEE, YANGON
The article entitled ''FACING THE TRUTH 11'' which appeared in the Internet Web-site of Deja.com on 15 May 2000 for your reading pleasure.
Author : SA < sam 7007 @ wongfaye.com>
I was recently hospitalised and my stay of a couple of weeks brought to my mind the matter of health care in Myanmar. I have noticed that many criticised Myanmar for having inadequate health care for the poor. It is true. Myanmar is still a developing country, not a rich one, still without a proper, well-established Health Care Program that will benefit people who cannot afford it. Now, there is the next question that needs to be asked: in this situation, isn't it more important to help than to sit aside and sneer ? Unfortunately the people who take pleasure in sneering had done nothing to help ease the situation; and when others help, out of pure goodwill, they get attacked. It is a very strange way of showing that they are doing it 'for the good of the people.' It is more than strange, it is a cruel hypocrisy. Health care is expensive, anywhere in the world. Private Health care is expensive, and beyond the means of the ordinary low-income people. So is that not reason enough to want them to have better job opportunities ? Also, when health NGOs come in help these very people, they are attacked for ' working with the government.'
On the other hand fortunately we have well-trained doctors, a lot of them with degrees obtained from prestigious Universities of UK, Scotland and America. What we lack is the money for the medication etc. During the days before market economy, even the hospitals in the cities had no proper facilities such as modern machines and equipments. Now, they have them, as do private hospitals. The use and maintainance of these facilities do not come cheap; and unless the country as a whole prospers, so that a stable Health Care Program can be set up, how will it benefit the poorer class of citizens, for politicians to demand that the country stay poor ?
What really brought this to my mind is an old newspaper clipping that a friend showed me: it was from the February 17 , 2000 issue of the International Herald Tribune. On page two there was a reprint of a Q&A session with Daw Aung San Su Kyi and one Bernard Krisher of Cambodian Daily. One question asked was, "How can people who wish to give humanitarian aid really help the needy Burmese people without going through the military regime?
Her answer was, " The first question to ask is how effective is this humanitarian aid ? What kind of aid is that ? And how many people is it supposed to help ? In general, whatever humanitarian aid that nongovernmental organizations may be able to give is a drop in the ocean compared to what is needed in Burma. What we really need in Burma is substantive change, the kind of change that will enable people to help themselves. "
There are many kinds of NGO aid, such as in AIDS prevention, basic health care, etc. There is no need for questions. No NGO in the world is going to set themselves up in the country to give help the generals' families.
Now, if this 'drop in the ocean' saves some babies' lives, is it not worthwhile ? Because what is the alternative? If NGOs are not here, because the help is not enough for everyone, what is the alternative offer? What good do we get when ALL NGOs leave ?
There are UN organizations and NGOs concentrating to set up projects that will enable the people to help themselves, and DASSK had condemned each of them because it ' legitimises the government.' Legitimate or not, any project going on in the country would need to be connected to any level of government that is necessary. That is just part of the administrative set-up, in any country in the world. Ignoring the real issues at stake is hurting the people. But for anyone to see the reality of the issues involved he would need to face the truth. And if he does not want to see the reality, he will refuse to face the truth.