Dr. Cynthia's Mae Tao Clinic, 1-8-08, Thai/Burma Border Trip

By Aneta

"This is more like a flea market," Amerita said to me as we entered Dr. Cynthia's Mae Tao Clinic compound. It wasn't what I had expected. The hospital grounds had been transformed into a New Year's celebration for the Karen people, and hundreds of people mingled dressed in their beautiful Karen best, the adults eating and chatting, the children running around.

Still, we were able to tour the grounds. Again it wasn't what I had expected. The buildings were small and old, the grounds didn't seem as sanitized as U.S. hospitals--the smell of sanitation bothered me--and there was a lot of dirt and sand everywhere.

In front of the prosthetics workshop, we saw a woman holding a child who had deep black circles around his foggy eyes. Another woman sat talking on a mobile phone, her wooden legs short and sticking straight out. I felt like I was in a zoo, staring at them, invading their area.

Further on, we came across two buildings facing each other, one for children who suffered from extreme malnutrition and dehydration. Extreme malnutrition is less common than chronic malnutrition; mothers try to wean their children from the breast at about 6 months and put them on rice soup, which has no nutritional value and stunts their growth. Another problem that arises is that the children born in the clinic aren't recognized by Burma or Thailand, so the clinic gives them a document proving their birth, which may help them get into school. Also, children who have long-term problems are often abandoned. People generally come to the clinic accompanied by family members, and for some children, their parents just don't have the resources to stay at the clinic for extended periods.

As we continued our tour, I saw benches for the registration office filled with people completing forms. The clinic serves up to 400 patients a day, and feeds all the patients and their families--up to 1,100 meals a day. In 2006 they had 100,000 patients, served by 300 staff, 50 clinical, 50 administrative. The number served increases about 20% a year. Many patients have malaria, HIV/AIDS, respiratory problems, and, for children, malnutrition and diarrhea. Many have TB, requiring a 6-month drug regiment, which a lot of people can't sustain.

But many others, once healed, don't want to leave. Dr. Cynthia's clinic is known around the region. Even our bus driver wore a t-shirt bearing the doctor's photo commemorating her 48th birthday, and patients and the community alike celebrated her work.