Southern Shan State is facing a growing medicine shortage after nearly five months of import restrictions disrupted supply chains and pushed prices sharply higher, residents and healthcare workers say.

Since mid-August 2025, the military-ordered Foreign Exchange Supervisory Committee has restricted imports of foreign food, consumer goods, and medicines through border crossings and maritime routes.

As a result, many towns are reporting shortages of essential drugs, particularly medicines imported from India that are widely used to treat chronic illnesses.

“We are completely out of key medicines. Diabetes drugs and blood-pressure medication are no longer available. Only limited local alternatives remain,” a rural healthcare worker told SHAN.

Medicine prices have surged, in some cases rising more than threefold. Multivitamins that previously sold for 5,000 kyats now cost up to 10,000 kyats, while common ointments have risen from around 10,000 kyats to over 30,000 kyats.

Patients with heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure report difficulty continuing treatment due to rising costs and limited availability.

Transporters and merchants say medicine deliveries from Yangon and Mandalay have sharply declined amid intensified inspections at the Kywe Tat Sone checkpoint on the Kalaw–Thazi road.

Security forces are reportedly searching vehicles, seizing supplies, and demanding payments, further disrupting deliveries.

Healthcare workers warn that continued shortages could quickly develop into a public health emergency, particularly for patients who require regular, long-term medication.