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news on Burma (r)



Burma's Health
Letters to the editor
International Herald Tribune
June 10, 1998
 
Since assuming power in 1988, the Burmese military junta has transformed
the country into one of the most backward and repressive in Asia. The
continuing  deterioration of the economy, and a leadership more interested
in holding on to its privileges than in the welfare of its people, have
significantly hurt the health of the Burmese people, particularly women
and children.
 
According to UNICEF, the national infant mortality rate in 1996 was 105
per 1,000 live births, compared with 33 in Vietnam, 31 in Thailand and 11
in Malaysia. One million Burmese children are reported to be malnourished,
9 to 12 percent of them severely.
 
The health of the population can not be isolated from the political
situation in the country. Under present conditions, it is possible that
the people's health will continue to deteriorate. The only way to reverse
this situation is for the government to revise its priorities and set the
health and well-being of the people above its military concerns.
 
CESAR CHELALA
NEW YORK
(The writer is an international medical consultant)
 
Burma Info (CCN)
New Delhi.