With the hope of a good healthcare system that can also cater to the poor, locals of Taungtwingyi Township protested for the emergence of good health care system at 9am on October 10.
A peaceful procession about 50 people started their protest at the motorcycle-taxi gate at the junction of Akyitaw. They shouted and chanted that demanded equal treatment to the poor; denouncing the medical superintendent that used harsh language to an expecting mother, denouncing the medical superintendent that was on duty while wearing a handheld catapult weapon on his waist, denouncing medical doctors and staff that were not working while they were on night duty, denouncing the medical superintendent that discriminates between the rich and the poor patients, to get full medical assistance to pregnant mothers in Taungtwingyi Township, denouncing the practice of asking cleaning staff from performing nurse duties, to employ a medical superintendent that will care for the interest of the poor patients, to take action against corrupt staff from the Taungtwingyi hospital, to stop collecting money for usge of toilets in the Taungtwingyi hospital, to let the rest hall built with donations by the Chanmyae Sayadaw to be actually used for the patients’ families or caretakers and to stop any other illegal activities being carried out within the Taungtwingyi hospital.
“The aim of this protest is for the emergence of a good and reliable health care system for the poor. There were many incidences of discrimination on patients that had taken place. Recently, a pregnant woman was called into the labour room and was harshly scolded by the medical superintendent. That patient was then moved to Magway hospital and had to give birth to a child there,” said a leader of the protest Kyaw Moe.
Concerning the protest, Taungtwingyi hospital medical superintendent Dr. Aung Zaw Moe said that “it is not true that I had harshly scolded a pregnant woman in the labor room. As the room is small, my voice may have sound loud. I took a catapult while I was performing check up rounds on the patients because that day, my pet cat was bitten by a dog and I had used that catapult to chase away the animal. I had forgotten it was on my waist and accidentally brought it to the hospital. There was no discrimination taking place at the hospital. It was already in a terrible situation when I was posted at this hospital but everything improved during my term. The towns’ elders know about this.”
The protest was held only after obtaining official permission and ended at 11:00 am.
