On Friday, 28 March, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck central Myanmar. From the epicentre in the city of Sagaing, the tremor was felt across Thailand, Bangladesh, China and Laos.
Our teams are already in the country and have immediately mobilised to travel to the affected areas in Sagaing, Mandalay, Naypyitaw, and Southern Shan states to assess initial needs, while our emergency teams are prepared to arrive in Myanmar as early as possible.
Jessa Pontevedra, emergency coordinator based in South-East Asia, was one of them. She shares her experiences from the first week of the MSF’s emergency response in Myanmar.
What I witnessed in Naypyidaw deeply affected me as a public health professional, but the devastation in Mandalay touched me to my core as a humanitarian.
We landed in Yangon in the middle of the night on April 1st and headed directly to the MSF office for briefings. After a few hours of rest, we set out the next morning on the 6.5-hour long drive to Naypyitaw, mainly along the highway to join the team who had already gone there on March 30th. But about 100 km from the city, we started seeing the impact of the earthquake – cracks marred the road, a stark reminder of the disaster’s reach.
We entered this well-designed city, Myanmar’s capital, and checked into a hotel, where some displaced families who could afford it had taken refuge. In the evening, we met the rest of the emergency team to set the objectives for the coming days. As a medical coordinator, my role is to assess the health situation: evaluating both the condition of medical facilities and the urgent needs of affected people.
A maternity ward in a jewellery museum
Before the earthquake, Naypyidaw boasted major medical institutions: a 1,000-bed hospital, a 500-bed paediatric hospital, 500-bed orthopaedic hospital, 500-bed maternity, and more. Yet, all of these large, specialised hospitals couldn’t operate to their full capacity due to structural damage to the facilities, and that in this city which is home to 1,1 million people.
One of the more striking examples of adaptation was the repurposing of a 500-bed obstetric-children’s hospital. The patients, staff, and some of the equipment were relocated to an unoccupied private jewellery museum that was untouched by the earthquake. The owner, eager to help, welcomed the maternity in his building and compound. The museum, originally intended to be a high-end tourist attraction, had become an emergency healthcare space. Inside the grand rooms, there were rows and rows of beds set up for pregnant women about to give birth.
A metal detector at the entrance now served as the triage point, with desks further inside used for antenatal and postnatal consultations. Other rooms were transformed into emergency wards, and an operating theatre was already performing C-sections. Staff, who were themselves displaced, had set
up tents to sleep in the compound, as well as the families of patients. A brick building in the back of the compound, which looked like a train station, was used as the administration offices and kitchen for the staff.
I saw a lot of solidarity and dedication
There, I met the superintendent of the hospital, who took the time to speak with us despite the challenging situation. Amid the hectic environment, she was still smiling. Staff and patient’s families were sharing the place, sharing meals, offering donations to the ones in needs, supporting each other… acting as a big community. Everyone was coping as best they could… collectively.
A paediatric hospital, originally another 500-bed facility, had been relocated across the city and was now operating as a 32-bed township hospital – without any operating theatre. Looking at the community's needs – pregnant women give birth, and kids get sick even amidst a natural disaster –, a 500-bed hospital becoming a 32-bed hospital, the math was not adding up
The encounter with the superintendent at this facility, deeply touched me. The healthcare professionals were so dedicated, trying their best. The community spirit everywhere and coming together really resonated with me as I am Southeast Asian, and this is a big part of our culture. Coming together in times of needs… They were also appreciative that MSF is with them in this emergency.
Many people homeless in an urban space
Five days later, I left Naypyidaw, taking the old highway instead of the express road. As we approached Mandalay city, we saw makeshift shelters of plastic sheeting on one side of the road, housing perhaps 1,000 people. On the other side, buildings lay in ruins. The following days, as we moved around the city to assess the hospitals, we saw similar damage – collapsed homes and communities in disarray. Many affected people were quite vulnerable, without access to water and sanitation, lacking the basic requirement to preserve their dignity.
In Mandalay, families who chose to stay close to their damaged or collapsed houses were staying at the gates or front yard, or along the street - some even re-entering their damaged houses, risking further injury just to access basic facilities like bathrooms. The hospitals were partially functional and able to attend to the injured – although oftentimes outside barely shielded from the elements by simple tarps.
Throughout these assessments, our teams have already been providing basic health consultations, psychological first aid to the affected communities and distributed non-food items such as hygiene kits in cooperation with local civil society organisations. The logistics teams have been working tirelessly to restore water and sanitation facilities, setting up latrines in monasteries where many displaced families sought refuge.
Challenging perspectives, but a strong resilience from the communities
With the rainy season approaching, the challenges are mounting. The situation might become increasingly precarious. If thousands are left homeless in urban areas, with the risk of disease outbreaks, responding to their needs will be incredibly challenging. What I witnessed in Naypyidaw touched me to my core as a public health professional, but what I saw in Mandalay touched me to my core as a humanitarian.
For now, the communities are finding ways to support one another. I remember one couple staying at the same hotel in Naypyidaw, whom I met when I was out for my usual run. They were also doing their morning exercise. It was the man’s birthday that day. But given the situation, the celebration would not be a party. “We have lost our home too”, he said, “but we are bit more blessed, so we want to give back.” And they did so by doing food, water and non-food item distributions in one of the most affected neighbourhoods of Naypyidaw. I also keep in mind the doctor I met.
He was from a less affected town who had rallied a group of healthcare colleagues to set up a free clinic. They quickly began receiving donations from people abroad - food, non-food items, and more. This spirit of community in Myanmar is powerful, but I can’t help but wonder: how long can it last?
Our emergency teams continue to work almost around the clock, further assessing and anticipating the needs, supporting the relief efforts wherever possible along with the communities that are so engaged. The recovery from this massive earthquake will be long for the affected people, no matter where they live, they need to have access to life-saving humanitarian assistance.
More testimonies from those impacted
When the earthquake hit, I was in the mosque. The shaking was soft and slow at first, then it got worse. I was standing next to the wall. Two people on my left and right sides were swept away by the wall when it crumbled.
My daughter came to my rescue. When she saw me, my hand was stuck in the window. She wanted to help me get it out, but I called out to her, saying: "I do it by myself, I can walk, I will walk slowly."
My sons were in the mosque as well, but my daughter couldn't find them, so she climbed up into the rubble to look for them. She found one of them, who was bleeding profusely.
My younger daughter was looking for her brothers too, when a little boy on the street shouted, "Help me, help me," and at that moment, the second earthquake struck. The boy and my daughter were trapped in a collapsing building; they did not survive. Among my family members, two were injured and one died; we are 10 in total. The injured were rushed to a 300-bed hospital in Mandalay for emergency treatment. Now my family is fine at home.
I have high blood pressure and diabetes, so I came to the Mobile Clinic opened by MSF.
I managed to get out on my own. I even ran. I escaped and ran away after the first earthquake. The second earthquake hit when I was on the road, and I saw that the entire village was completely empty. Many people who were worried about their families and tried to help them also died. Rescue teams arrived and helped to recover people from the rubble.
Now, I want to repair the damaged buildings. It doesn’t mean that everything will be fine, but I think it is reasonable.
In the past, our village was quite peaceful with everybody following their tasks. The children were always happy, and the football field was lively. Now, there are so many collapsed houses or houses that have tilted. There are no more ladders to climb. I am not the only one who lost someone - some people have lost their entire families. Now, families are not complete. And even families whose members have all survived, don’t have a home anymore. I feel really sad every time I think about it.
Here, food and drink are still the main things we are concerned about rather than rehabilitation. We also need a lot of government assistance. I would like to repair the damaged buildings. It doesn’t mean that everything will be fine, but I think it is reasonable.
My name is Than Zaw Soe. I am 28 years old, my wife is Ni Pho (31), we have two children. We live in this town, Tada-U, my mother is also part of our household. Our house is made of wood, so there was not much damage when the earthquake hit on March 28th. Things fell and broke and we have some cracks here and there. However, the Dukthawaddy Bridge collapsed and therefore the road to work was blocked. I work in delivery in Mandalay, first I couldn't go to work and now that the bridge has been repaired, they have suspended my work - we are facing financial challenges as a result. We were not rich before the earthquake, but now it is even more difficult. Since I'm not working, I joined the relief team and helped the earthquake-affected people with my labor. We came to the monastery today to help with the clean up here - lucky conscience to find this clinic who could take care of my son who stepped into a nail.
My name is Za Za Lin Aung. My uncle – he is a doctor – has this holistic approach to health, that physical health relates to mental health. He always said, when people are sick, they are tired – not only physically but mentally, so he did his best to help them in both aspects. I found this very inspiring - even as a kid, I taught people about health, and later I became a doctor myself; I like to think that I’m following in my uncle's footsteps, approaching health not only from the physical side.
I have been a doctor for 9 years now (since 2016), I’m from Taung Gyi, Shan state. Before I came to Mandalay to help in response to the earthquake, I used to practice there in a private clinic.
When the 7.7 earthquake hit, we also experienced it in Taung Gyi. Something like this had never occurred before, and we were quite shocked. Not long after it happened, I started to see news saying that Mandalay, Sagaing, and Inle Lake were very badly affected. I felt for the people and really wanted to help, but I didn’t know how to join the response efforts.
And then a friend contacted me, saying that that MSF was looking for volunteer doctors. I immediately decided to quit my job in Taung Gy and go to help without hesitation. I applied at MSF and got a call from HR the next day. Within 2 days I arrived in Mandalay.
I have medical knowledge and as these are skills very much needed in the affected areas, I'm very happy to be able to put them into practice where it is needed most. My main motivation is that I want to help my fellow Myanmar citizens when they are in trouble.
We mainly treat skin infections, and non-communicable diseases like diabetes and high-blood pressure. So far, there have not been any outbreaks of water-borne or vector-borne diseases like acute watery diarrhea or malaria and dengue fever, in the affected areas by the earthquake, but this is one of our concerns in respect to the approaching monsoon season.
We also see people who were injured in the earthquake – they mostly received first treatment at the local hospitals and came to us for a follow-up. Like the little boy in Bhone Oh township – during the earthquake, a pot of boiling water fell on him, and he suffered severe burns. He was initially treated at Mandalay General Hospital, and his parents brought him to us for a checkup. He was very much in pain and screamed heartbreakingly when we changed his dressings.
We also see people with signs of PTSD who were emotionally affected by the earthquake – our mental health team currently offers counselling sessions for them. There was one patient that I still think of frequently, also at Bhone Oh camp: A mother brought her son in, who had suffered a head injury and very narrowly escaped death. The boy seemed to be daydreaming, or rather, still trying to understand what had happened. He didn’t play and talk anymore. His mother was also feeling depressed after seeing her son being injured and losing her husband. At that time,
we didn’t have a mental health team with us yet, so all we could do was create a safe space where they could share their experience and feelings and acknowledge their suffering. We also took their contact information, and the next day, our mental health team followed up with them.
In our work, we heavily rely on the community-based organisations that exist in almost every township and camp here. I really like working with MSF. I like how systematically we approach the needs, and collaborating with civil society organisations is new to me, so I have the chance to learn a lot. I am very proud to be an MSF staff member, because I can provide the necessary support to the areas that really need it. I work with passion and dedication in everything I do, but here it feels especially rewarding.
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