Burmese Health Dilemma

Greater risk of disease as 'illegals' avoid care because of fear of arrest, expulsion

TAK - Burmese illegal workers avoid getting medical treatment at Thai hospitals, fearing that contact with authorities will see them deported. "That's why these immigrants inadvertently become carriers of diseases," said Seri Thongmak, secretary general of Pattanarak Foundation. Dr Kanoknart Pisuttakul, director of Mae Sot Hospital in Tak, said if left untreated they could spread harmful diseases to others. "Can you see how children under these immigrants' care become infected? Can you imagine how they can pass on diseases to others in a packed factory?" she said.

Many Burmese tuberculosis patients drop out of treatment programmes before completing the full six-month course, allowing the disease to grow resistant to drugs and more difficult to treat, she said.

The doctor urged employers to ensure their Burmese workers get medical check-ups. She also called on relevant authorities to allow alien workers to buy health insurance for Bt1,200 a year. "I think they will be happy to pay, and it will reduce the government's financial burden," she said.

Mae Sot hospital treated 15,982 foreign patients last year and had to shoulder Bt16.1million in treatment costs, Kanoknart said. "Malaria, tuberculosis and syphilis are common diseases among Burmese immigrants," she said.

Pranom Somwong, an official at an organisation working to help foreign immigrants, warned the government's policy of shunning alien workers would only exacerbate the spread of harmful communicable diseases.

The government could seek aid from international organisations such as the World Health Organisation to recoup expenses to treat the immigrants, she said.

Pattanarak Foundation's Seri suggested the Public Health Ministry could save money by promoting good health rather than reacting to illnesses by just providing treatment. Tan Wei, a Burmese volunteer in his 30s, said it pains him to see many Burmese girls undergoing illegal abortions that also threaten their lives. "They don't have money to raise a child and are worried that their employers will fire them if they are pregnant," he said.

A Burmese illegal worker at a clothing factory in Tak's Mae Sot district said employers did not want to take care of their workers and immediately deport women who get pregnant. "That's why most female workers have to undergo abortions," she said.

Dr. Cynthia Maung, who fled Burma and provides free treatment to Burmese patients on the Thai border, said her clinic receives more than 200 Burmese a day.

Her patients are mainly from two groups: those working in Thailand and those travelling to Thailand in search of medical care. "Most of them are suffering from malaria," she said. Burmese travel to Thailand because they cannot find medical treatment in their home country, Dr Cynthia said. "We should sympathise with them. If we view them as people in need of help, there will be no problem in our eyes. You know, many pregnant women have complications and without proper medical assistance, their babies will die a painful death in Burma," she said.

A Burmese Immigrant is treated at Dr. Cynthia Maung's acclaimed clinic in Tak. The Magsaysay Award winner said her clinic receive more than 200 Burmese patient a day - despite police arrests.

Dr Cynthia, who won the 2002 Ramon Magsaysay Award for community leadership, said authorities nab many Burmese immigrants on their way to her clinic. Fia, a Burmese nurse on the border, said her people rarely receive medical treatment because Burmese hospitals often sell drugs to underground rings and demand large sums of money before rendering medical care.

A Burmese woman named Noi said she fears her uncle will lose his eyesight because he suffers from corneal ulcers. "A hospital in Burma demanded nearly Bt500,000 but we couldn't afford that," she said after taking him to the clinic run by Dr Cynthia. Noi was told that her uncle's condition needed treatment at larger facilities. But was wouldn't risk it.

"We dare not go further to district hospitals in Thailand as we fear arrest. I have to take him home now and let fate guide his way," she said.

Tak Province