Addressing urgent mental health in post-coup Burma

“Everyone needs psychosocial support these days,” Back Pack Health Workers Team, an Inter Pares counterpart in Burma, told Inter Pares staff recently. 

Counterparts across Burma are seeing a spike in mental health issues, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic and the February 2021 coup d’etat. Alongside providing essential health services, they are responding to the growing need for mental health support.

Back Pack Health Workers Team (BPHWT) is training community health workers in Karen and Karenni states through a five-day intensive program on mental health. This training is particularly necessary in remote and conflict-affected areas, where communities don’t have access to institutional supports. BPHWT is also cognizant of the mental health needs and wellbeing of their team and their families, given the harsh reality of the context they also live, and work in. 

Another long-term Inter Pares counterpart, Mae Tao Clinic (MTC), recently resumed online and in-person counselling services on the Thailand-Burma border which had been on hold for two years following the coup. MTC also trains all health workers in psychological first aid, teaching them how to identify issues and make referrals.  

Our counterparts in Burma support the health needs of over 750,000 people living in nearly 2,000 villages across the country and in the border regions. Mental health is a crucial component of overall health. Inter Pares is inspired by our counterparts in Burma, who in the face of conflict and crises, continue to build their capacity and effectively respond to the emerging needs of their communities.