Providing free health care for people crossing the border from Burma to Thailand: the Mae Tao Clinic

The Mae Tao Clinic (MTC), directed by Dr. Cynthia Maung, provides free health care for refugees, migrant workers, and other individuals who cross the border from Burma to Thailand. People of all ethnicities and religions are welcome at the Clinic. Over the past 13 years MTC has grown, from a small house that served Burmese pro-democracy students fleeing the 1988 crackdown, to a complex multi-specialty medical centre. Though exact numbers are difficult to establish because of the fluidity of our patient population, we estimate that we serve a target population of approximately 150,000 on the Thai-Burma border.

The clinic’s staff of 5 physicians, 100 health workers, 99 trainees and 40 support staff provide comprehensive health services that include: inpatient and outpatient medicine, a surgical unit, blood transfusions, reproductive health, child health, eye care, and prosthetics for landmine victims. It also hosts interns from local ethnic groups for periods of three months to one year who are trained to become a new group of health workers and technicians who will go out to provide health care within the Thai-Burma border area. The clinic also supports mobile clinics within Burma, at Pa Hite and Mae La Poh Hta, that provide health services to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

The children's home at Umphium Mae Refugee Camp cares for 86 children who have been separated from their parents. Some are orphaned or abandoned, while others are sent for the schooling not available within Burma. Schools and boarding houses that cater to an additional 198 children and serve the families of local migrant workers and the clinic staff also receive support. Through the years the clinic has sponsored women's organizations, health education, and community awareness events at refugee camps.

Mae Tao Clinic maintains two primary health care outpatient and inpatient clinics for populations inside Burma at Pa Hite in Mutraw District (population 14,000) and La Pa Her in Pa-an District (population 2,000) as part of the Karen Health and Welfare system. These clinics serve as referral centers and inpatient facilities for the Back Pack Health Worker Teams (see story above).

This story is compiled from information on the clinic's website. Contact information: Mae Tao Clinic, P.O Box 67, Mae Sot, Tak 63110, Thailand. Email. The clinic's work is supported by a wide range of international donors.

 


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