Myanmar’s Oxygen Crisis
The military regime is accused to be weaponizing oxygen supply against the population of Myanmar.
According to multiple sources on twitter and in the media, the military regime has reportedly restricted supplies of oxygen to hospitals and COVID-19 care centers.
According to The Irrawaddy, 731 bodies were cremated at the three major cemeteries in Yangon just yesterday (13th July 2021), as compared to just 40 funerals per day before the pandemic.
The military regime reportedly ordered private oxygen plants not to refill oxygen cylinders, on claims that people are hoarding oxygen. Oxygen suppliers are ordered to fulfilled the orders/quotas by the government and the military before providing oxygen to the public.
Due to the lack of oxygen supplies, ambulance services were stopped as well.
“They don’t even refill oxygen for emergency use by ambulances so we have stopped our ambulance service,”
said a charity worker from Botatung Township in Yangon. (The Irrawaddy)
From our understanding, most of the infected are treated at home, and relatives are joining long queues at oxygen plants all around Myanmar to get their supply of oxygen. These civilians risk arrest for breaking military-imposed curfews for lining up for oxygen, most headed to the plants after night fall.
According to the Guardian, an Oxygen tank could cost up to 400,000 kyat (243 USD) – an incredibly huge sum of money, more than the monthly pay of a university graduate in Yangon.
Local doctors and health workers are forbade from visiting patients, with the threat of arrest and violence by the military, but also getting infected by the patients. Most people had to manage whatever they can by compartmentalizing their home to separate the infected and the uninfected for as long as they can.