| Project | Mobile Clinics in Sittwe Rakhine |
| Objectives | To increase access towards medical services for Internally Displaced Persons in Rakhine State |
| Project Partners | Myanmar Health Assistant Association |
| Activities | • Primary health care services in rural health centres in the camps • Construction of Rural Health Centre • Renovation of camp clinic • Donation of medicine to the State Health Department • 2013 March polio catch up campaign/Extended Program for Immunization services |
| Locations | Sittwe, Rakhine, Myanmar |
| Period | January 2014 to December 2014 |
| Accomplishments | • All mobile clinics and static clinics served an average of 4,968 patients a month • A total of 59,626 patients were treated in the year 2014 |
Background
Since 2012 MERCY Malaysia teams have served the affected and displaced communities of the inter-communal riots. The expulsion of the INGOs, UN agencies and foreign aid workers in Sittwe on April 2014 has caused shortages in health services in terms of manpower, medical supply as well as transportation.
MERCY Malaysia efforts
Despite the tensions, MERCY Malaysia teams from Rakhine continued their healthcare services to the IDP camps in partnership with the Myanmar Health Assistant Association. Due to the gap in the delivery of healthcare services to the local communities, the operation was conducted in a rotation basis in order to serve all camps. Mobile clinic services was scheduled on dates that was determined by the State Health Department which was held once every a week. Findings • 11% of patients complained about general weakness of tiredness, insomnia, loss of appetite or muscle cramps. • 10% suffered from viral infections that caused fever, malaise, vomiting, sneezing and cough. An acute viral infection is characterized by a rapid onset of disease, often causing little or no clinical symptoms and typically observed with pathogens such as influenza virus and rhinovirus. • 9% of patients experienced acute respiratory tract infection. • Patients that required further attention were sent to Da Paing Emergency Hospital, Thet Kel Pyin RHC Centre, and Sittwe General Hospital.
