Myanmar
Earthquake in Myanmar: The Critical Hours Begin
On March 28, 2025, a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck central Myanmar, near Mandalay, as well as Thailand.
MSF teams are about to deploy to the affected area. We are deeply concerned about the fate of those impacted. The Sagaing region has been the hardest hit, an area already scarred by years of violence. Six regions are currently in a state of emergency, and the government has made a rare appeal for international aid.
We are doing everything in our power to provide life-saving assistance as quickly as possible. Having worked in the country for 32 years, we expect to be on the ground in a short time. These are the critical moments for the countless people trapped under the rubble. Thanks to the support of our donors, life-saving aid is on its way.
The emergency fund enables MSF to respond swiftly to immediate needs in crisis situations, such as the earthquake in Myanmar.
As the conflict in Myanmar entered its third year post the military takeover, Médecins Sans Frontières scaled up assistance to displaced people and filled essential gaps in healthcare.
Our activities in 2023
outpatient consultations
individual mental health consultations
people receiving HIV antiretroviral treatment
people started on treatment for MDR-TB
Violence escalated at the end of October in Kachin, Shan and Rakhine states, displacing an additional 660,000 people and exacerbating the already severe healthcare needs. People struggled to access care, as hospitals ceased to function following attacks or evacuations, and the warring parties imposed travel restrictions on people and humanitarian organisations.
In response, our teams in Kachin and Shan provided medical support and distributed relief items, such as hygiene and cooking kits, to displaced people. We also increased sexual and reproductive health services and support for victims of sexual violence in Kachin, Shan and Rakhine.
Until November, our mobile teams in Sittwe district, Rakhine, conducted outpatient consultations in remote areas where healthcare is scarce or non-existent, or inaccessible due to cost or restrictions on movement. We also identified patients in need
of specialised care and supported them with the referral process. This process is particularly challenging for Rohingya people, as they are contained in fenced camps or villages and require permission from the authorities to move around.
When the escalation in conflict prevented our teams from running mobile clinics for the last two months of the year, patients relied heavily on our community health workers and teleconsultations for medical care.
Meanwhile, we extended our support to Aung San tuberculosis (TB) hospital in the capital, Yangon, where almost 50 per cent of the country’s patients with drug-resistant TB receive care.
During 2023, we continued the handover of our HIV patients to the Ministry of Health, switching our focus to supporting the national AIDS programme with staff and technical assistance.
In May, after Cyclone Mocha made landfall in Rakhine state, causing widespread damage to homes and infrastructure, we delivered medical care to the people affected. We also conducted water and sanitation activities, which included repairing latrines, distributing hygiene items and trucking in clean water.