Starting from August 8, 2025, the provision of essential ART drugs for HIV/AIDS patients in Myanmar through NGOs/INGOs will be suspended, and patients will have to get their drugs from the Military Commission’s Ministry of Health. It has been announced that the Global Fund will provide more than 68 million US dollars for the period 2024-2026 to combat HIV in Myanmar. It is believed that the donations from the Global Fund will flow directly to the Military Commission and they want to control it, so NGOs will no longer be allowed to provide ART.
This is not good news for HIV/AIDS patients and could be a major setback for the fight against HIV in Myanmar. Fighting an infectious disease like HIV does not end with a doctor giving the patient medication, but requires care from all health and social sectors to ensure that the patient takes the medication comfortably and for a long time. Even during the NLD government, government hospitals had a large demand due to the imbalance in the number of health workers and patients. The services of the Ministry of Health under Min Aung Hlaing are so poor that no one dares to go to the hospital. And given the current political and military situation, the health care of the military commission is difficult to reach remote areas. In cities like Hakha in Chin State and Tamu on the Indian border, it is impossible to distribute ART to remote areas when the salaries of NON CDM staff are not paid. If they take the funding for ART and provide it themselves, it will cause many difficulties for HIV patients and there will definitely be deaths because they do not get the necessary treatment.
