Regime forces four private hospitals to shut down temporarily in Yangon

The military council has ordered at least four private medical facilities to suspend operations for several months starting March 1, sources connected to the affected hospitals said. The affected facilities include the Thamine Hospital, Kaung Hospital, Kyan Mar Thu Kha Hospital, and Myat Taw Win Hospital. Kaung Hospital will close on March 1 and reopen on June 1, a woman with ties to the hospital said, adding that the physicians employed there were also working part-time at other hospitals and would be able to continue their patients’ treatment. Another woman working in healthcare, who said she was familiar with the rationale for the junta’s decision, said it was an act of deliberate persecution based on allegations that the hospitals had hired people involved with the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM), which organised protests and strikes in response to the military’s 2021 coup. “The hospitals that are closing are small ones,” she said. “The main reason is that they employed CDM doctors. These hospitals are rehiring them due to the scarcity of qualified doctors. I’ve heard they will monitor the situation for a few months and may allow some hospitals to reopen.” Myanmar Now contacted at least three officials from the junta’s health ministry for comment on the situation, but did not receive a response. Junta authorities ordered more than 20 well-regarded private medical facilities in Mandalay to close in 2022 and 2023, and may force the temporary closure of seven more starting March 1. Two hospitals in Mandalay’s Maha Aungmyay Township, which had also closed amid accusations of hiring workers who had joined the CDM, were allowed to reopen in January 2024. In the four years since the Myanmar military seized power, overthrowing an elected civilian government, many civil servants and other professionals including healthcare workers have left their positions out of unwillingness to serve the coup regime. Junta chief Sen-Gen Min Aung Hlaing has publicly voiced his frustration about their non-cooperation. According to data from the United States government’s international trade administration agency—part of the Department of Commerce—there are more than 250 private hospitals throughout Myanmar. The agency estimates that Myanmar nationals spend as much as US $600 million annually for healthcare services abroad due to being unable to afford or access the same care in their home country.

Regime forces four private hospitals to shut down temporarily in Yangon

According to sources close to the affected hospitals, the facilities subject to the military council’s order have Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) participants on staff

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