Myanmar’s prisoners are among the country’s most vulnerable and marginalized people. They often have limited access to prevention and medical treatment. Prisons are overcrowded, turning them into hotspots for communicable diseases and infections such as tuberculosis, HIV, hepatitis and cholera. Cramped living conditions can also worsen mental health.

Located in Myitkyina Prison in Kachin State, the health clinic will provide basic healthcare services, with a focus on providing treatment for tuberculosis.

The other three health clinics are being constructed in Lashio Prison in Shan State, Insein Prison in Yangon Region and Mandalay Prison in Mandalay.

“These clinics will make an enormous difference to the ability of prisoners to realize their right to health – a human right of all people,” said Tomas Lundström, the Fund Board Chair and Representative from Sweden.

The clinics are financed by Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States, through the Fund – a joint programme for health in Myanmar. UNOPS is managing the construction of the health centres.