Health care at risk in cyclone hit areas in Burma: UN

by Mizzima News

Friday, 12 December 2008 18:45

New Delhi (Mizzima) - Efforts to help Burma's cyclone victims are still being met with a shortage of funds, and efforts on health could be wasted unless more concerted efforts are made in the health sector, the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Burma said. Bishow Parajuli, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Burma, during a donors meeting held in Rangoon on Tuesday, warned that "Investments and progress made to date are therefore at risk unless concerted and coordinated efforts are made to support the health system." He said an international appeal for funding to help cyclone victims in Burma is still short of more than USD 100 million. The UN has appealed for USD 483 million but so far obtained USD 303 million. The UN said, while agriculture and Early Recovery programs are still the least funded, health sector continues to be in a precarious state unless concerted and coordinated efforts are made to support the health system.   Other participants at the meeting including the Medicine San Frontiers (MSF) pointed out that political consideration might have been one factor for international donors to fail to come up with more assistance. "There are very positive results from projects related to prevention and treatment of diseases like Malaria and HIV/Aids in Myanmar [Burma]. Still, many donors are not forthcoming with increased support to this country, I think mainly because of political considerations. For this, the civilians are paying the price," said Frank Smithuis, MSF-Holland Country director. In August, the UN admitted that it lost more than a million US dollars of aid money to Burma's cyclone victims in the country's odd foreign exchange mechanism, leaving questions of how much of the aid money is actually reaching cyclone victims. However, the United States first lady Laura Bush, during her remarks at the Council on Foreign Relations on the 60th anniversary of Universal Human Rights Declaration said, US has seen a few evidences that shows its aid is reaching cyclone victims in Burma. She said photographs of cyclone victims in Burma's Irrawaddy delta rebuilding their homes with rice sacks that are stacked with USAID and American flags, shows that part of aid materials, if not all, are reaching the affected victims. "So we do know that some of this relief we're sending into the cyclone area is getting to the people," she said. Laura Bush also announced that US will provide an additional USD 5 million aid for Burma's cyclone victims, through the World Food Program and Save the Children to be to ensure access to clean water, adequate shelter, basic health services and other essential needs in the most affected areas. Meanwhile, Mark Canning, former British Ambassador to Burma, told the donors meeting that the British government would like to see Burma increase its contribution while seeking more donors to come up in aid of cyclone devastated areas. "So we and our partners would like to see other international donors scale up their support. We'd also like to see the government of Myanmar increase its contribution to the health sector, not least because such a sign of commitment helps draw in further international assistance," Canning said. < Prev   Next >