CNI News
8 December 2024
People in Putao District, Kachin State have run out of medicine and the prices of some medicines have skyrocketed, according to Putao locals.
Putao Township every so often runs out of medicine and the import of medicines has been limited since December 5, 2024. At present, because it is not easy to use the Myitkyina-Putao Road, medicines have to be carried by airplane. So, the prices are going up.
A kind of medicine that was paid 1,000 kyats is paid 6,000 kyats now, a local from Putao told CNI News.
" Not every kind of medicine is available. But some medicines are not buyable. In the past, medicines were directly carried by car. They were available easily. All the medicine companies are based in Yangon. Because the motor roads cannot be used, if we order medicines, they are carried by air. Transportation charges for medicine are more expensive. The price of the medicine I am taking was 1,000 or 1,500 kyats before and but now I have to pay about 6,000 kyats. Naung Mon and Khawng Lan Phu are worse.” he said.
At present, 80 percent of the medicine that are used in Kachin State is being imported by air only. The medicine carried by car reached Myitkyina only and just a little to other towns.
due to the shortage of medicine, although the cost for medical treatment in the clinics, for example, was just 10,000 kyats before, it has been 30,000 kyats just now.
Although medicines for diabetes, hypertension and heart disease can be bought, they are more expensive than before. Customers could not choose the brands they liked when they bought medicine, a person who sells various kind of medicines from Putao told CNI News.
" Medicines from China don't enter so much although the road is open. There are not a lot of Myanmar traditional medicines because it takes five days to make the medicines reach here from the Mandalay-Myitkyina road and the prices are going up. And customers can't choose the brand they like. They have to buy the medicines sold by drug stores." he said.
Because importing medicines to Kachin State has been tightened since June this year, shortage of medicines is getting worse.