A Burmese Hospital during the pandemic

“At what point do we send someone to the hospital? That decision alone is extremely scary, because we don't know what the hospital is going to look like, and we don't know what they'll do. And then you're sort of public, and you're also exposed to what's happening around you, and seeing dead bodies, which is what people were telling us we would experience.”

Michaela describes the nightmare situation in Myanmar, with people having to face "Coup-vid" this year, a hellish combination between the Third Wave of COVID, and the ongoing humanitarian crisis that is the military takeover. No quote more than this one illustrates the impossible decisions that people are now faced with there. When Michaela and her roommate came down with COVID, they have to choose between self-recovery at home with very little medical care available, or going to the hospital and having little idea what could be in store. Some patients worsen by going to Burmese hospitals, where the risk of infection can be compounded and military authorities may swoop in to take a closer look at those seeking care.

One consistent remark that several recent guests have made on the podcast is noting the quality of resilience among Burmese people, and this year has tested that trait like no other time. It is hard to imagine another people enduring the burden of suffering that their military has heaped on them, as they continue to fight for their democracy and human rights.