Dr. Cynthia Maung founded the Mae Tao Clinic to assist Burmese migrants and those who make the perilous journey from Burma, where the heath care system is near collapse. Mae Tao is quite an amazing place, the clinic assists thousands of Burmese patients a year with the help of some inspiring volunteers and staff.
Another critical aspect of the clinic's work is it's training program for nurses, and community health workers.
This program provides care for patients of the Clinic, and valuable training for the staff, who in turn become medical professionals that service their community.
Furthermore Mae Tao has backpack medical teams trained which operate inside Burma.
There is also a great preventive heath education program for mothers and children based at the clinic.
While visiting Mae Tao I was very impressed with the staff and generosity of the Burmese patients who allowed me to take their photos.
This experience was very moving, since I had the chance to ask questions through an interpreter who was also a staff member.
I soon found out how these Burmese patients were able make it to the clinic, as well as the medical conditions they suffered from.
I learned about their struggle to survive in a country that has one of the worst health care systems in the world.
Many of the patients I met were from the Karen ethnic group. Unfortunately the Karen are trying to survive against insurmountable odds.
The Burmese regimes relentless military campaign against their people amounts to ethnic cleansing.
The Karen have been fighting for independence since 1948 in what is one of the longest civil wars in the world.
But the one memory that is burned into my mind from this visit is the day I went into the trauma ward and talked to a young monk who had an infected bullet wound on his foot.
I introduced myself and asked his name and how he had come to this clinic.
I remember his eyes were dead and his facial expression was distant.
Two days later I checked in to see how he was doing.
I found him weak from surgery he brushed aside his red robes to show me what remained of his leg.
The doctors had to amputate his leg below the knee , because of infection from the old bullet wound.
Another critical aspect of the clinic's work is it's training program for nurses, and community health workers.
This program provides care for patients of the Clinic, and valuable training for the staff, who in turn become medical professionals that service their community.
Furthermore Mae Tao has backpack medical teams trained which operate inside Burma.
There is also a great preventive heath education program for mothers and children based at the clinic.
While visiting Mae Tao I was very impressed with the staff and generosity of the Burmese patients who allowed me to take their photos.
This experience was very moving, since I had the chance to ask questions through an interpreter who was also a staff member.
I soon found out how these Burmese patients were able make it to the clinic, as well as the medical conditions they suffered from.
I learned about their struggle to survive in a country that has one of the worst health care systems in the world.
Many of the patients I met were from the Karen ethnic group. Unfortunately the Karen are trying to survive against insurmountable odds.
The Burmese regimes relentless military campaign against their people amounts to ethnic cleansing.
The Karen have been fighting for independence since 1948 in what is one of the longest civil wars in the world.
But the one memory that is burned into my mind from this visit is the day I went into the trauma ward and talked to a young monk who had an infected bullet wound on his foot.
I introduced myself and asked his name and how he had come to this clinic.
I remember his eyes were dead and his facial expression was distant.
Two days later I checked in to see how he was doing.
I found him weak from surgery he brushed aside his red robes to show me what remained of his leg.
The doctors had to amputate his leg below the knee , because of infection from the old bullet wound.
