Is the WHO Dancing to the Tune of the Myanmar Regime?

By Desmond 28 July 2022

Does the World Well being Group (WHO) have a conscience? And do the United Nations (UN) businesses have a conscience? What concerning the workers working for the UN in Myanmar? Do they really feel responsible over what is going on within the nation? Myanmar individuals are unsure if the WHO and UN have consciences, however they do see these organizations as ineffective and ineffective and they’re now the topic of ridicule. A regular criticism-cum-joke for Myanmar individuals in response to any UN assertion on the nation is to be extremely involved for the well being of the UN workers.

The criticism and mocking of the UN didn’t cease even when a WHO driver from Mawlamyine was shot useless on 8 June. Unconfirmed reviews mentioned that the Mawlamyine Individuals’s Protection Drive killed the motive force due to his relationship with the Myanmar army.

In response, each the WHO and the UN instantly issued statements condemning the killing. Mr. Ramanathan Balakrishnan, the UN Resident Coordinator, even requested all events and stakeholders to respect the “neutrality” of the United Nations and humanitarian support suppliers, and known as for an neutral investigation.

Though individuals don’t help the killing of an individual with out sound justification, there are nonetheless factors to be made about these statements. Some individuals sarcastically requested if this killing had been dedicated by the army, would the WHO have had the heart to demand an neutral investigation? The WHO stored its mouth closed tight when the junta was committing focused killings and arbitrary arrests of placing healthcare staff, support staff and members of civil society organizations (CSOs). Many Myanmar netizens assumed that the WHO solely dared to talk out on the Mawlamyine killing as a result of they knew it was not dedicated by the army.

As well as, individuals recommended that if the WHO genuinely needs justice for its slain workers, they will submit a proper grievance to the Ministry of Protection underneath the Nationwide Unity Authorities (NUG), a reliable physique supported by the individuals. It’s an outright problem to the WHO and different UN organizations who keep away from partaking with the NUG, a reliable authorities supported by the individuals, out of concern of the army regime, a gang of armed males killing its personal individuals. Additionally it is rooted within the logical assumption that justice could be solely be anticipated from a authorities that protects its individuals. Nothing could be anticipated from the junta, which brutalizes the nation and well being staff.

Navy’s inhumanity in direction of well being staff

Because the February 2021 coup, Myanmar has grow to be a harmful place for well being staff, who’re being focused by the regime. Over 30 well being staff had been killed, whereas 286 had been arbitrarily arrested, inside a yr of the coup, in accordance with Physicians for Human Rights. The junta has been always raiding, shutting down and destroying hospitals and clinics. In a single latest case, the regime arrested Dr. Aung Aung Htun, from the well-known Thuriya Clinic in Mandalay, and his household with none cause. The WHO mentioned nothing concerning the arrest. It’s extremely uncertain whether or not they’re even conscious of it.

Even worse, the WHO did nothing when Dr. Htar Htar Lin, who labored carefully with the WHO, was arrested by junta forces in June final yr. Dr. Htar Htar Lin was the Nationwide Immunization Director on the Ministry of Well being (MOH) and identified for her management within the COVID-19 vaccination marketing campaign. On the time, she mentioned: “The army is making an attempt to reap the benefits of the vaccination program. We will’t let the dictator use the vaccination program as a weapon.” Regime forces inhumanely arrested Dr. Htar Htar Lin’s seven-year-old son alongside together with her. However regardless of that grave human rights violation, the WHO stayed silent.

Vaccination and well being companies state of affairs in Myanmar

Whereas the WHO has failed to discourage the killings and arrests of well being staff, it was additionally unable to forestall the harmful actions of the junta throughout the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The second COVID-19 wave got here simply because the well being system had collapsed due to the coup. Individuals had no clinics to go to and no COVID-19 remedy facilities as had existed underneath the ousted Nationwide League for Democracy authorities. As well as, the junta was recklessly arresting the well being staff and volunteers of charities offering emergency care. CSOs needed to run important well being companies in secret out of concern of army reprisals. Even when individuals had been going through a scarcity of much-needed oxygen, the army confiscated provides of oxygen for its personal use and so put the lives of individuals at risk.

However the WHO was unable to persuade the junta-controlled MOH to provoke or help a community-based response, the central part to any disaster response. A few of the WHO’s workers mentioned that they might not implement any response actions as deliberate and simply used their funds primarily to pay their workers’s salaries. There was a widespread joke inside the well being group that mentioned that whereas hundreds of individuals had been dying of COVID-19, the WHO was busy drafting remedy tips, posting them on-line, whereas additionally re-posting MOH figures offered by the junta with out verifying them.

At the moment, nationwide vaccination applications are hardly working. For instance, BCG [tuberculosis] vaccine protection was over 80 per cent even throughout the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic interval, however in 2021, it was solely simply over 40 per cent. If youngsters can’t obtain the required vaccines, the general public well being penalties will likely be big. The WHO’s response has solely been to intention to revitalize mechanisms by way of the junta-run MOH to succeed in the youngsters. The WHO’s lack of creativity implies that they most likely don’t know any different approaches.

Actually, it’s the junta who for no cause restricts the transportation of medicines to conflict-affected areas resembling Sagaing and Magwe areas. Nobody of their proper thoughts believes that the regime-run MOH, which doesn’t put the well being of the individuals first, would be capable to get vaccines to the locations the place they had been most wanted. Public well being consultants and CSOs are pushing for the cross-border vaccination marketing campaign, however the WHO continues to disregard them because it follows the need of the regime. The WHO’s argument that it’s an excessive amount of of a technical problem to implement a cross-border marketing campaign is only a lame excuse.

If the WHO and UN settle for the truth that Myanmar is heading for a much bigger public well being disaster, they have to act now. Offering unfettered humanitarian help and important well being companies to the individuals, no matter the place they dwell, is a should. In response to the killing of the Mawlamyine WHO driver, the UN Resident Coordinator known as on all events to respect the “neutrality” of the UN. However is the UN appearing in a impartial method?

The truth suggests in any other case. WHO senior workers have been going backwards and forwards to the capital Naypyitaw and ready for a inexperienced mild from the MOH. It has been recommended that the WHO is raring to return to enterprise as regular by refusing to see what is definitely taking place: a public well being emergency. One latest instance of that’s the truth that the WHO is recruiting workers to help the MOH in Naypyitaw. The job advertisements state clearly that the tasks of profitable candidates will likely be to cooperate and supply technical help and supervision to the MOH, though no particular actions are talked about.

Is the WHO appearing alone right here? Maybe it isn’t. Because the UN’s predominant public well being physique, the WHO has to comply with strictly the path set by the UN resolutions on Myanmar to not acknowledge the regime. With a purpose to do this, there are tips for all UN organizations in Myanmar to hold out danger assessments earlier than resuming operations. The danger evaluation is supposed to evaluate whether or not a UN program legitimizes the army or not. It’s only allowed to run a program if it doesn’t.

Solely the WHO management and workers know if the group is following these directions, as a result of no public info is on the market. One additionally has to query whether or not the UN Resident Coordinator agrees with the present method. As for the individuals of Myanmar, they are going to proceed to maintain a detailed eye on the WHO. They gained’t hesitate accountable any group that dances to the tune of the army.

Desmond research worldwide growth with a deal with peace processes and transitional points.

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