Latest news with #PeKhaLau
AllAfrica
08-08-2025
- Health
- AllAfrica
The agony and death left by USAID's exit from Myanmar
In a forgotten corner of Southeast Asia, Pe Kha Lau, an elderly 71-year-old woman, passed quietly, shortly after the slashing of USAID funding, her life slipping away in the wake of a shuttered clinic. Among the war-torn country she lived in, her death wasn't a loss of life resulting from armed conflict, but a casualty of something equally heartless: abandonment. Her death wasn't an isolated tragedy, but part of a pattern of preventable suffering across Myanmar. Before total neglect set in, women like Pe Kha Lau were already fighting to survive. Clinics run by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) provided critical care to internally displaced persons: prenatal check-ups, malnutrition screenings and basic treatment. Local groups like the Women's League of Burma (WLB) organized women to demand rights amid relentless violence and systematic neglect. Those global and grassroots networks filled the void left by a collapsing national health system, but as of 2021, over 1,500 attacks on healthcare facilities have been recorded, and cholera outbreaks rage through camps, severing that fragile lifeline. The toll isn't just numbers; it's silent suffering. When the US cut aid, that suffering deepened. On January 27, 2025, hospitals serving over 100,000 Burmese refugees shuttered overnight when the IRC – cut off from its primary US funding – halted operations. Patients were discharged mid-treatment, IVs removed, surgeries canceled, staff sent home unpaid. At Umpien camp, one woman watched in horror as a wounded man was stitched up by an untrained volunteer. While bureaucrats debated waivers in Washington, basic human needs – oxygen, clean water, maternal care – were suspended indefinitely. These cuts weren't gradual or targeted; they were immediate. A 'pause' in aid felt, on the ground, like erasure. Beyond closed hospitals, aid withdrawal stripped away women's last defenses against violence, disease and death. Before funding ended, the WLB and similar organizations delivered basic healthcare and protection to displaced women and girls. Now, lacking US support, they've laid off workers, shut outreach programs and eliminated lifesaving services, exposing women to exploitation, maternal complications, and preventable deaths. Programs that once provided sexual and reproductive care, gender-based violence protection and health education vanished overnight. In camps like Mae La, pregnant women can no longer get emergency obstetric care; IV drips sit unused because clinics lack staff. Newborns, malnourished mothers and survivors of assault are left without care in overcrowded, often violent camps. The human cost is staggering. Cancelling over 10,000 humanitarian contracts meant specialized services for women – decades in the making – disappeared within weeks. Projects protecting 300,000 children and women from abuse went defunct. The reinstated 'global gag rule,' forbidding any NGO even to mention abortion, including in rape cases, deepened the crisis for women in war zones and camps. This wasn't a freeze; it was an entirely preventable withdrawal of dignity and survival for some of the world's most vulnerable women. If the aid freeze devastated Burma's health system, the March 2025 earthquake delivered the death blow. The 7.7-magnitude quake shattered hospitals, cut off aid routes and left families digging through rubble with bare hands. With USAID dismantled and humanitarian teams gutted, the US offered a $9 million donation and a few advisors – a faint substitute for the rescue teams once deployed within hours. Myanmar's collapsing health system buckled completely: clinics crumbled, cholera spread, thousands lacked shelter, clean water or medical care. The fallout was immediate and catastrophic for women and girls who now face trauma, untreated injuries and deadly disease outbreaks. Aid cuts didn't just abandon Myanmar: they left it behind at its worst. And once again, women have shouldered the greatest burden. Years of slow progress in maternal health, infectious disease control and women's rights have been lost in months. Hospitals that once provided life-saving services stand walled off. Mobile clinics have been dismantled, emergency surgeries canceled and vulnerable populations stripped bare. Women and girls now face exploitation, untreated medical complications, and preventable deaths. Unless aid is swiftly and sustainably restored, these consequences will echo long after this crisis, wounding a nation that has already endured too much. But the crisis is far from over. The situation is compounded by new disasters as monsoon rains arrived early this year. Extensive flooding has submerged villages and refugee camps in northern regions like Sagaing and Kachin, destroying bridges, farmland and critical infrastructure. The floods have left thousands more displaced and cut off from aid, with women and girls bearing the brunt of shortages in food, clean water and medical supplies. Despite these escalating needs, humanitarian access remains obstructed by military blockades and administrative restrictions. UN agencies report that only a fraction of required funding for women's health and protection has been secured, leaving critical gaps in sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence response. Health workers continue to risk their lives to deliver care under constant threat of attack, while preventable diseases resurge and maternal mortality soars. Myanmar's collapse is a warning we can't ignore. The disintegration of women's healthcare exposes the risks of politicized aid systems, but it also offers a chance to learn. While US policymakers cited governance concerns and fears of aid diversion as justification for cuts. But such reasoning ignores the reality that humanitarian programs like maternal care, clean water and cholera response operate independently of military structures and are verifiably tracked. Reconstruction must be more than reorganizing services; it must rethink aid as resilient, locally driven and sustainable. That means investing in cross-border aid channels, funding grassroots women-led organizations like the WLB and sustaining flexible, decentralized systems that bypass state actors entirely. Supporting groups like the IRC is the only way to ensure we don't repeat these errors. Their work isn't charity; it's a lifeline for women whose survival depends on reliable, unpoliticized aid. Shiv Patel is a researcher with the US Campaign for Burma, where he has authored briefs and pieces on healthcare access for ethnic minorities and conflict-affected regions like Rakhine State. Karen Ames is a human rights activist and the managing director of the US Campaign for Burma with more than 10 years of experience working on Burma.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
US aid freeze claims first victims as oxygen supplies cut off
A 71-year-old woman has died after her oxygen supply was cut off when the United States announced a freeze on aid funding. Pe Kha Lau, a refugee from Myanmar living in a displacement camp in neighbouring Thailand, died four days after she was discharged from a USAID-funded healthcare facility operated by the International Rescue Committee (IRC). She is thought to be one of the first people to have died as a direct result of Washington's decision to freeze all funding for aid projects for 90 days. Her family told Reuters that she had frequently been sent to hospital in the last three years as she was dependent on a supply of oxygen, but was sent home after the IRC received a 'stop-work' order in late January. The organisation operates clinics that cater to roughly 80,000 people in nine refugee camps close to the Myanmar border, but abruptly closed and locked several hospitals to comply with the uncompromising US directive. The agency may be subject to an exemption as it offers lifesaving assistance, but it is not yet clear when a waiver could be issued. Thai authorities are trying to stem some of the gaps and local people are 'self-mobilising' to offer limited care, but it is already too late for Phe Kha Lau, who is among the first known fatalities of the USAID freeze. Within days of leaving the IRC hospital, the 71-year-old was struggling to breathe and asked to return to the facility. 'I had to tell her that there is no hospital,' Yin Yin Aye, her 50-year-old daughter, told Reuters in a teary phone call. Pe Kha Lau's son-in law, Tin Win, added that before the closure, 'whenever she got short of breath, I would carry her right away back to hospital and she would be fine'. 'We are very poor people,' he said. 'I work as a day labourer. We can't afford oxygen at home.' Pe Kha Lau is not the only one affected. In Umpiem Mai camp in Thailand, which is home to more than 10,000 people who fled the brutal civil war in neighbouring Myanmar, a resident and a health worker told ABC that multiple patients who were reliant on oxygen have now died. 'The medical workers left without even taking the equipment and the patients had to return to their homes, including some who had to be carried out,' said Sulaiman Mawlawi, a camp resident. 'It was a very tragic moment for us.' There are also reports of refugees giving birth in former school buildings after the hospital closures. A complicated conflict has been raging in Myanmar since the military seized power four years ago. Almost a third of the population is now reliant on humanitarian aid, while at least 3.5 million have been internally displaced since February 2021. Hundreds of thousands more have fled the country, including into neighbouring Thailand. Although Asia is not the biggest recipient of US aid – of the $60 billion in foreign assistance that was frozen by the Trump administration, roughly $3.9 billion is spent in South and Central Asia, and $2.1 billion in East Asia and Oceania – the freeze has hit Myanmar especially hard. America spends around $200 million a year in the country, making it the largest donor, and roughly $40 million goes towards health. One doctor working inside Myanmar – whose group receives roughly $1.5 million from USAID each year, but who asked not to be named amid concerns it could affect funding in the future – said the sudden halt demonstrates 'a total lack of respect for ill people and life'. 'The stopping and then restarting – instead of planning and then deciding what to stop and what to continue – has of course caused numerous avoidable deaths,' he told the Telegraph, adding that he knows of at least seven NGOs that have stopped some activities. He said that the full ramifications may take some time to unfold. 'Most of the time you will not see the worst consequences immediately,' the doctor said by email. 'If you stop TB or AIDS treatment it can take months, a year before the patient dies. However, the patient's bacteria or virus might have developed resistance which will make it much more difficult to treat when you re-start.' Another medic in central Myanmar, a region hard hit by the conflict, said his team have had to pause services because they do not have reserve funds to stem gaps from the USAID freeze. His group receives close to $2 million a year. 'We will lose that amount to save the lives of the people – so it is frustrating for us,' he told the Telegraph, also asking to remain anonymous. 'Without the US, we don't have funds to continue a lot of our work.' Tom Kean, a Myanmar researcher at the Crisis Group thinktank, said that although 'life-saving humanitarian assistance' is supposed to be exempt – as well as efforts to tackle diseases such as malaria, newborn deaths and malnutrition – many of these programmes are still waiting for confirmation they can continue. 'Without confirmation, they risk incurring expenses that USAID then refuses to reimburse – a risk they literally can't afford to take,' he said. 'It's also very unclear at this stage whether the programmes that have definitely been suspended pending review – those that are not providing 'life-saving humanitarian assistance' – will be allowed to resume or cancelled.' He added that USAID's partners, who implement programmes on the ground, and their beneficiaries have been left in a 'terrible position' as the chaos continues. 'There's nothing wrong with a review of aid spending – this happens regularly. But existing programming should have been allowed to continue while the review is carried out.' The Telegraph has contacted the US Embassy in Bangkok for comment. The IRC has not yet responded to the Telegraph, but told Reuters: 'To hear of this loss of life is devastating and we offer our condolences to the family and friends of Pe Kha Lau.' Protect yourself and your family by learning more about Global Health Security Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Burmese refugee dies after discharge from shut US-funded clinic, says family
By Shoon Naing (Reuters) - A Burmese refugee with lung problems died after she was discharged from a U.S.-funded hospital on the Myanmar-Thai border that was ordered to close as a result of U.S. President Donald Trump's freeze on foreign aid, her family said. Pe Kha Lau, 71, died on Sunday after becoming short of breath four days after she was sent home from a healthcare facility funded by the U.S. through the International Rescue Committee. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. The IRC closed and locked hospitals in several refugee camps in late January after receiving a 'stop-work' order from the U.S. State Department, according to residents and aid workers. An IRC spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The U.S embassy in Bangkok did not immediately respond to a request for comment. On orders from Trump the U.S., the world's largest humanitarian donor, stopped almost all aid work and has began to dismantle its main mechanism for delivery, the United States Agency for International Development. The spending freeze Trump ordered upon taking office January 20 is supposed to last 90 days while his administration reviews all foreign-aid programmes. Trump and Elon Musk, who is heading his drive to shrink the federal government, have said the move is necessary to root out wasteful spending. The IRC facilities served tens of thousands of refugees living in mountainside camps on the Thai border who are unable to go back to Myanmar. The country has been in chaos since 2021, when the military seized power from an elected government, and ensuing conflict has killed thousands of civilians and displaced more than 3.5 million, according to the United Nations. Pe Kha Lau had been hospitalised for three years and dependent on a supply of oxygen, according to her family. When she fell ill at home on Saturday night she asked to go back to the hospital, her daughter Yin Yin Aye, 50, told Reuters through tears. 'I had to tell her that there is no hospital,' she said by phone. An IRC spokesperson previously told Reuters that members of the refugee community had "self-organised" to ensure critical services for their communities while aid support was being "transitioned" to Thai authorities. 'VERY POOR PEOPLE' Before the hospital closed, Pe Kha Lau's son-in-law, Tin Win, said 'whenever she got short of breath, I would carry her right away back to hospital and she would be fine". 'We are very poor people,' he said. 'I work as a day laborer. We can't afford oxygen at home," he said. He said several other refugees had died as a result of the hospitals closing. Reuters was not able to confirm his account. A local Thai health official who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue said that when the hospitals were closed, oxygen tanks were distributed to some patients but there were not enough. The IRC facilities were the primary source of medical care in Umpiem camp, a remote hillside area. With the IRC facilities abruptly shut, midwives moved laboring women to a former school, where an 18-year-old refugee gave birth on February 1 amid insufficient facilities, a relative and a schoolteacher said. The loss of U.S. foreign aid has left Thai officials and refugee groups scrambling to fill the gap, while state-run hospitals provide care for the refugees. Aid efforts across the globe have been crippled by the Trump administration's freeze, including the intricate system that helps prevent and respond to famine, according to humanitarian organisations. (Writing by Poppy McPherson. Additional reporting by Panu Wongcha-um; Editing by Michael Perry)
Reuters
07-02-2025
- Health
- Reuters
Burmese refugee dies after discharge from shut US-funded clinic, says family
Summary Trump's aid freeze closes US-funded refugee hospitals Patient, 71, died after breathing problems at home Thai officials, refugees struggle to replace health services Feb 7 (Reuters) - A Burmese refugee with lung problems died after she was discharged from a U.S.-funded hospital on the Myanmar-Thai border that was ordered to close as a result of U.S. President Donald Trump's freeze on foreign aid, her family said. Pe Kha Lau, 71, died on Sunday after becoming short of breath four days after she was sent home from a healthcare facility funded by the U.S. through the International Rescue Committee. The IRC closed and locked hospitals in several refugee camps in late January after receiving a 'stop-work' order from the U.S. State Department, according to residents and aid workers. An IRC spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The U.S embassy in Bangkok did not immediately respond to a request for comment. On orders from Trump the U.S., the world's largest humanitarian donor, stopped almost all aid work and has began to dismantle its main mechanism for delivery, the United States Agency for International Development. The spending freeze Trump ordered upon taking office January 20 is supposed to last 90 days while his administration reviews all foreign-aid programmes. Trump and Elon Musk, who is heading his drive to shrink the federal government, have said the move is necessary to root out wasteful spending. The IRC facilities served tens of thousands of refugees living in mountainside camps on the Thai border who are unable to go back to Myanmar. The country has been in chaos since 2021, when the military seized power from an elected government, and ensuing conflict has killed thousands of civilians and displaced more than 3.5 million, according to the United Nations. Pe Kha Lau had been hospitalised for three years and dependent on a supply of oxygen, according to her family. When she fell ill at home on Saturday night she asked to go back to the hospital, her daughter Yin Yin Aye, 50, told Reuters through tears. 'I had to tell her that there is no hospital,' she said by phone. An IRC spokesperson previously told Reuters that members of the refugee community had "self-organised" to ensure critical services for their communities while aid support was being "transitioned" to Thai authorities. 'VERY POOR PEOPLE' Before the hospital closed, Pe Kha Lau's son-in-law, Tin Win, said 'whenever she got short of breath, I would carry her right away back to hospital and she would be fine". 'We are very poor people,' he said. 'I work as a day laborer. We can't afford oxygen at home," he said. He said several other refugees had died as a result of the hospitals closing. Reuters was not able to confirm his account. A local Thai health official who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue said that when the hospitals were closed, oxygen tanks were distributed to some patients but there were not enough. The IRC facilities were the primary source of medical care in Umpiem camp, a remote hillside area. With the IRC facilities abruptly shut, midwives moved laboring women to a former school, where an 18-year-old refugee gave birth on February 1 amid insufficient facilities, a relative and a schoolteacher said. The loss of U.S. foreign aid has left Thai officials and refugee groups scrambling to fill the gap, while state-run hospitals provide care for the refugees. Aid efforts across the globe have been crippled by the Trump administration's freeze, including the intricate system that helps prevent and respond to famine, according to humanitarian organisations.
