By Kantarawaddy Times
Residents of three remote villages within the Din Lah Kyo area, in Pruso Township, Karenni state, share hoping to receive a rural health clinic to access basic healthcare services.
The three villages such as Ko So, Han Saw Ku, and Ko Kway are located in isolated mountainous terrain where emergency medical access extremely difficult, according to a local health officer from the western part of Pruso Township.
“We urgently need a health clinic in the proposed area to ensure access to basic healthcare services,” the officer explained. “We believe that even a small clinic equipped with essential medicines and staffed by a nurse would make a significant difference, especially in emergency situations. It would not only support the work of health workers but also greatly benefit the local community.”
While some villages in the Din Lah Kyo area have access to clinics, residents of more remote communities continue to face significant challenges in obtaining basic medical care. Poor road conditions and a lack of transportation—such as motorcycles or vehicles—make it extremely difficult for them to reach healthcare facilities.
During the rainy season, frequent landslides and road collapses further worsen the difficulty of reaching medical care, especially for emergency patients.
“There’s no clinic here. When it rains, it’s very difficult to travel. Getting to the nearest clinic is really hard. We face many challenges—transport costs, having to hire a motorcycle, and even needing someone to accompany the patient. All of these burdens add up. We’ve already submitted requests through our local administrative unit. If possible, we hope they’ll build the clinic in Ko Kway,” said U Win Maung, village head from Ko So, the most remote of the three villages.
With the ongoing rainy season, locals report that traveling for treatment has become even more challenging. Only during the dry season can motorcycles and vehicles travel safely to the area. As such, residents are hoping the new clinic can be constructed in Ko Kway village.
“There are two villages located farther from us—Han Saw Ku and Ko So. If the clinic is built here in Ko Kwe, it would serve as a central location for all three villages,” said Ee Zar Ko Nay Win, village leader of Ko Kwe. “Residents would no longer need to travel all the way to Daw Lar Saw for medical care. We hope construction can begin as soon as possible, as access to basic healthcare is critical—especially when the severity of an illness is often unknown.”
In villages within the Din Leh Kyo area that lack permanent clinics, mobile health teams visit once a month—or every two months—to provide basic medical care. It has been reported that when someone in the village falls ill, their relatives often have to travel to neighboring villages to bring back a health worker or obtain medicine themselves.
These three villages are currently home to more than 700 people, including both local residents and internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Pruso town and other conflict-affected townships.
