I had decided to visit Mandalay at the end of my trip so that I could see friends in that city. I'd originally intended to make my own arrangements but, in the end, I merely arranged a hotel and my flights and Doctor Hla Tun took care of everything else. The Doctor estimated that he would have completed his consultations by noon on Sunday, so the monastery car and driver was arranged for that time to take the Doctor and I from Bagan to Mandalay. During the morning, I was able to continue to study the workings of the Clinic.
Individual patient treatment booklets are issued on registration at the clinic for the first time. These booklets comprise a number of plain, folded sheets stapled into a thicker, simply-printed cover. Each booklet is meticulously updated by the Doctor on the first and any subsequent visits in manuscript. Any associated test results (for instance blood tests, ECG) are usually stapled to this booklet which is retained by the patient.
Doctor Hla Tun updating a Patient Record Booklet.
The overall Clinic Records detailing patient registrations are also hand-written in ruled, bound books. The Clinic Accounts, including payments made by patients towards the cost of medication, comprise a series of plain ruled, stapled or bound books which are also completed in manuscript. The Clinic has a number of clear-sided donation boxes, similar to those seen at sites of religious pilgrimage (charitable giving is a fundamental part of Buddhist belief) and proceeds from these are also recorded in the Clinic Accounts. To keep figures aligned in each of the account books, vertical columns are manually added to each page in pencil.
Bagan Medical Clinic, May 2019: Two donation boxes outside the original clinic building.
Hla Win Ko showed me a 'PC' tower computer at the Clinic which he has programmed to produce various dosage labels for issue with medication dispensed to patients. Labels are produced in sheets of A4 size each containing multiple labels which are then cut to produce individual labels.
Around Bagan Clinic 2019: Sheet of medicine dosage labels, printed at the Clinic.
The design of the patient treatment booklet, the Clinic Accounting Books and the method of production of medicine labels have all been chosen so as to minimise the overhead costs in operating the clinic.
I also sat-in with Doctor Hla Tun to observe some of the treatments. Concepts of personal privacy are rather different in Myanmar so observing and even taking photographs during medical treatments, providing modesty is maintained, is acceptable. Patients are both old and young and represent many different ethnic groups but all have a natural dignity which is very impressive.
Around Bagan Clinic 2019: A patient in Doctor Hla Tun's consulting room awaits treatment.
Around Bagan Clinic 2019: A patient receiving pain-control injections from Doctor Hla Tun.
Inevitably, it was somewhat after twelve noon when the Doctor finished his last treatment. The Doctor, somewhat reluctantly, stopped for a light lunch after bullying from his Staff (and me) before we set of on the road journey to Mandalay which would take at least three and a half hours. We took the road through Myingyan we'd used the previous year when we travelled by road from Bagan to Pyin Oo Lwin (described in the post here).
Once again, I was fascinated as we passed over the crumbling concrete bridge over a broad, dry creek which incorporates a single-line metre gauge railway. Wind-blown sand covering the bridge deck increased the appearance of dereliction but both the road and the railway track are in regular use. I've only seen the creek dry but, in the rainy season, significant flood water must be channeled towards the Ayeyarwaddy River. A few yards away from the bridge, a parallel second road bridge was being constructed.
Bagan - Mandalay
Our route to Mandalay took us through Myitnge, where my friend Htein Lin lives. Myitnge is a 'railway town' where the British built the Carriage and Wagon workshops. The original workshops have been joined by a large, modern Chinese-built railway carriage building plant. The post Around Mandalay describes a day I spent with Htein Lin and his family when I visited both the original Wagon and Coach workshops and the new Chinese plant. I understand that the new Chinese plant, having produced an initial batch of air-suspension coaches, is currently 'mothballed' due to budgetary constraints.
Doctor Hla Tun arranged a rendezvous in Myitnge by mobile telephone with Htein Lin, who was waiting for us on his motor cycle. He then conducted us to a large restaurant where we met his wife and daughter. After taking photographs, we went to a private room for refreshments and conversation.
Bagan - Mandalay: Htein Lin, his wife and daughter with Jan at Myitnge.
My friend has opened a clothing shop in Myitnge which is proving successful and the family were keen that I should see it, so we climbed back into the car and Htein Lin conducted us there on his motor-cycle. Before I said 'good-bye' to the family, they generously presented me with a tee-shirt.
Bagan - Mandalay: Htein Lin and family at their shop in Myitnge with Jan.
We then finished the journey to Mandalay and I was taken to my hotel for two nights, the Hilton. This was formerly the Sedona Hotel and I've stayed there a number of times in the past but it has changed hands and been completely refurbished.
Since the events often called the 'Rohingya Crisis', tourism from North America and Europe to Myanmar has sharply fallen. But I was surprised to discover that large numbers of visitors are now arriving from China and the Hilton Hotel seemed to be catering for many of them. After the rather packed programme of the previous weeks, I was content to relax in my spacious room on Sunday evening, watching dusk descend over the city and using the hotel's fast Wi-Fi to upload photographs to 'Flickr'.
Related posts on this website
This is one of a series of posts describing my 14th visit to Myanmar. The post Return to Burma is the first post in the series.
Clicking on the 'Next report' link displays the post describing the next events. In this way, you may read about the trip in sequence.
Next report
Alternately, clicking on the 'All my Burma 2019 reports' link displays all the posts on this trip in reverse date-of-posting order.
All my Burma 2019 reports.
My pictures
My pictures including this part of the trip are in the albums:-
Burma 2019.
Hilton Hotel, Mandalay.
All my pictures on this trip are in the collection of albums also called Burma 2019
