Doctors Without Borders, MSF, Earthquake in myanmar
Natural Disasters tag

Myanmar Earthquake: Working to Meet the Biggest Needs

Latest News9 April 2025

Following the 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck central Myanmar on March 28, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) immediately deployed its teams of medical, mental health, logistics, and water and sanitation staff to the affected areas to assess the greatest needs.

We’re also providing support to hospitals, focusing on water, sanitation and non-food items, waste management, and infection control, including installing a water filtration system and a water tank at the Mandalay General Hospital. Our team has provided psychological first aid training to medical students who have volunteered to deliver mental health care to the community.

Here, Adrian Guadarrama, MSF program manager for Myanmar, describes what we’re seeing on the ground:

Video

Myanmar earthquake: Working to meet the biggest needs

In Myanmar, MSF is focusing on key areas of health care impacted by the 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck on March 28. Access to secondary-level care that people usually receive in hospitals will be a main focus while we also look at how to support primary medical care, people with chronic diseases, and mental health needs.
MSF

We're getting ready for what seems will be a long and intense emergency.

The health care system has been severely impacted at multiple levels, with secondary care being particularly affected. Hospitals, including operating theaters, are non-functional—not only for emergency surgeries but also for essential procedures like C-sections. MSF teams are prioritising efforts to provide immediate relief by strengthening secondary health care services.

At the same time, primary health care remains crucial in this context, so that the patients with diabetes or hypertension can continue their care. We are also worried about the psychological toll on the affected communities, many of whom are experiencing stress and acute trauma following the earthquake and ongoing aftershocks.

Doctors Without Borders, MSF, Earthquake in myanmar
Voluteers provided psycological first aid to beneficiaries at through mobile clinics and in the temporary camp, in Chan Mya Thar Si Township, Mandalay.
MSF

To help build resilience, our teams actively provide psychological first aid training as an integral part of the emergency response.

A key priority for MSF in Myanmar is community engagement—working closely with local efforts to ensure a meaningful and lasting impact on the health and well-being of those affected. Our goal is to strengthen existing capacities, particularly through the dedication of local communities and our local staff, who have been at the forefront of MSF’s response since day one.