Army Medical Officer-in-Charge, Eastern Command, Taunggyi

Dr Maung Maung Nyo

Preamble

At the end of July or the beginning of August 1962 I was transferred from BMH, Maymyo to Meiktila to take up my duties at the No. 3 Field Military Hospital, Loilem in Southern Shan State. Colonel Balakrisna was reluctant to let me go from Maymyo to the Shan State as he was relying on me to take charge of the Medical Ward and also the Psychiatric cases. So, he said,” Maung Nyo, you need not go immediately. You can take your time for at least a month.” Naturally I continued staying and working at the BMH, Maymyo although my transfer order was published since early June 1962.

(Taunggyi, Capital of Shan State)

But, at the end of June, Colonel Maung Thwin, Commanding Officer of the No.232 Medical Battalion in charge of the whole Shan State, rang Colonel Balakrisna to release me as soon as possible. Colonel Balakrisna replied that I had the allowance of one month to hand over my old duties and since Maung Thwin told him only at the end of June he would release me only at the end of July earliest. So, I stayed put until the end of July. Then, I went to Meiktila where Colonel Maung Thwin was stationed to report for duty.

(Entrance Arch to Taunggyi)

Colonel Maung Thwin told me,” Maung Nyo, we want you badly as Dr Hla Maung is going for leave from Taumggyi. It’s the Headquarters of the Eastern Army Division or Command. The Commander is there. So, please go and take over duty from Captain Hla Maung. He is going on leave to marry. You know him?” “Yes, I know Dr Hla Maung very well. He is the third son of U Kar, former Minister for Education in the Care-Taker Government. I know his bride Betty Cho (San San Myint), a beautiful Panthay girl. Both are six months senior to me. I’ll go and relieve him as soon as you send me to Taunggyi.” Thus I happened to take over the duties of Captain Hla Maung at Taunggyi for him to marry.

Duties at Taunggyi

It was at the beginning of the takeover of the State Power by the Burma Army and every thing was in a state of flux. The Army was being reinstituted and the Medical Corps was being reformed. Formerly, Shan State was taken care of by isolated military hospitals situated in strategic places like Loilem, Lashio, Kengtung and Mongton. There was no medical battalion to coordinate their activities. Each infantry battalion had a medical officer attached. The Director of Burma Army Medical Corps in Rangoon commanded them.

(Culamuni Pagoda, Taunggyi)

Now, there was a new medical battalion named No. 232 Medical Battalion currently situated in Meiktila to control them for Shan State as it was for other states and divisions.. And there had to be a hospital in Taunggyi for the army personnel and their families under the command of the Taunggyi Garrison. Taunggyi was the Headquarters of the Eastern Command (Division) and the Commander lived there. So, I was rushed to the spot. The Director of BAMC did not want older medical officers to be posted there as they might make problems. Besides, they knew that I was young, well trained and capable of managing any case. So, I was posted to Taunggyi immediately from Maymyo.

(Balloon Festival, Taunggyi)

I was given residential quarters in the compound of the Eastern Command that Colonel Maung Thwin had reserved for him. He still resided in Meiktila. Colonel Maung Shwe was the Commander of Eastern Command and I reported for duty to Colonel Hla Shwe, the A 1 or his Deputy for medical and administrative matters. They welcomed me warmly. All the families of the officers of the Eastern Command lived in the compound that faced the Sao San Htun Hospital, a brand new Soviet Russia’s gift to Burma with Russian specialists.

(Boat Race by Leg Rowers at Phaung Daw oo Pagoda Festival, Inle lake)

I used to go to that hospital in my free hours to see my friends, Drs Thein Nyunt, Htay Saung, Zaw Win, Saw Naung, Myint Lwin etc. They welcomed me to their wards and showed interesting cases. Dr Zaw Win (later Rector of Institute of Medicine, Mandalay, now deceased) asked me to join him in his surgical operations. He showed me quick method of doing vasectomy by cutting the vas in the scrotum under local anaesthesia. It was previously done by exposing the spermatic cord in the inguinal canal under general anaesthesia. Vasectomy was freely done at the time as there was no law prohibiting it. Most doctors did it at the price of Kyat 250 ( worth a Tical of gold (Da Kyat Tha) at the time). But I did it free of charge to the soldiers.

(Inle Floating Village)

At night we would play Hollywood poker in Dr Thein Nyunt’s unit or Dr Zaw Win’s unit as both were staying single. Dr Thein Nyunt was a bachelor. Dr Zaw Win’s wife was in Rangoon with a government job at Defence Industry. I played Hollywood, ate with them and slept in Dr Thein Nyunt’s guest room most of the time.

I had to see the patients from 8.00 AM to 12.00 noon at the Light Advanced Dressing Station near the northern entrance of Taunggyi. I saw about 200 patients at the OPD very day. I had lunch from 12.00 noon to 2.00 PM. I ate lunch with soldiers as I hade no family, but Dr Htay Saung and Dr Thein Nyunt invited me to eat at their homes. Dr Thein Nyunt has a butler that cooked and served him. He sent the butler to school and the boy matriculated when I left Taunggyi. Dr Htay Saung had his wife Sally, former Mis Taung Gu and a good cook. They had two sons at the time. I played with them.

(Inle Lake Leg Rower)

I went down to Shwe Nyaung every Tuesday and Friday to see the patients there. The main battalion was the Transport Battalion commanded by Colonel Khin Maung Lay. I informed my presence there and he warmly welcomed me. He later became a military attaché and ambassador.

Interesting Cases and Events

1. One morning at about 10.00 AM a Warrant Officer took a crying teenager to my OPD saying,” Bogyi, can you please save my son? He was injured in the face just now.” “OK, I’ll try. First tell me what happened with him.”, I replied. He said, “He had a fight at school this morning. They stabbed each other with sharpened pencils. He has lost his sight and is bleeding Bogyi. Please save him.” “OK, let me see him first.” I examined him and found to be bleeding profusely. He could not see as there was bleeding from the forehead, but the eyes were not injured. I saw broken pieces of lead from pencil in the wounds.

I said, “Don’t worry. I’ll save your son. He would be OK. He won’t go blind. Just sit in another room and wait for the patients to clear. After that I’ll operate on him.” Then I asked my MA (Medical Assistant) to clean the wounds with normal saline solutions, to give Omnapon injection to relieve pain, to inject Tetanus Toxoid and to wait for me. The boy was about 11 or 12 years old. He stopped crying after I asked him to. In the army children of the army personnel were afraid of the medical officers as their parents were.

(A Conference of Shan Leaders in 1961 that Triggered General Ne Win's Coup

on March 2, 1962)

After about two hours I finished clearing the OPD and operated on the teenager. Since it was a facial injury at the OPD, I said I would not give ether, but would clean and dress the wound un-anaesthetised as Omnapon had been injected.” Hey, you fought for nothing with friends and got injured. This mini operation would not be as painful as the injury. So, be patient and courageous. Don’t cry.”

I then washed the face again with hydrogen peroxide, removed the lead bits and stitched wherever necessary. I then gave penicillin injection. I then said,” We’ll clean and dress, check every day. I’ll refer him to Sao San Htun Hospital or BMH, Maymyo if necessary. But for the time being I think it’s OK. I hope it will heal normally. I told Drs Thein Nyunt and Zaw Win about this case and I would refer to their hospital if the need be, but the boy recovered completely in about ten days. His parents were very grateful to me and I noticed the number of patients coming to my OPD increased.

2. A few weeks later, a couple from Aung Thabye Camp, Shwe Nyaung came to my OPD to show their first born child. The father was a Burman corporal, and the mother an Inthu.

“Bogyi, can you operate on our son? We heard you operated on a boy with facial injuries”, the husband asked me politely. “Let me see”, I said and examined his son. He was about 9 months of age estimated by teething, and I noticed a unilateral left upper cleft lip. “I cannot operate this case here. This is a congenital anomaly and only plastic surgeons can operate. I’ll refer this case to Sao San Htun Hospital., I told them.

(A Beautiful Cherry Tree)

“But they won’t operate on army personnel, Bogyi. And we can’t afford”, the corporal told me. I said,” Don’t worry. I’ll take you in my car to Sao San Htun Hospital and show your son to the Russian Surgeon there. If he agrees to operate it will be OK. Other wise you may have to go to Rangoon General Hospital.” I remember Sayagy U Aung Than operating on cleft lips when we were posted to his Oro-Facial-Maxillo Surgical Unit that became the nucleus of the Institute of Dental Medicine.

(Rangoon General Hospital)

At about noon, I finished my OPD cases and I took the corporal, his wife and son to the Sao San Htun Hospital. Dr Thein Nyunt and Dr Htay Saung were at the Oral Surgery Unit and I requested them to show the boy to the Russian Surgeon. He willingly looked after the boy and agreed to operate his cleft lip. Eventually, he was mended the cleft lip. Dr Htay Saung and Dr Thein Nyunt later went to Russia to specialize in Oro-Facial_Maxillo Surgery and stayed there for 7 years. They became professor in their own field.

3. One night at about 10.00 PM I was playing Hollywood Poker in Dr Zaw Win’s apartment and the MA of my medical unit came and reported to me,” There is an emergency case at the Unit, Bogyi.” “OK, then I’ll go and see now”, I said and left the Poker table immediately. I found a boy of about 8 years crying.” It’s painful in the ear”, he said. I examined his right ear and found that there was an insect in it. It was moving in the external ear without being able to escape. I said, “Don’t worry. I’ll relieve you soon.”

(A Shan Couple in Burma)

Then I put the boy on the examining table, let him lie on the left side and pour liquid paraffin into the right ear. After about two minutes the insect came out floating on the oil. “Oh, it’s so simple. Previously we referred this type of cases to the Sao San Htun Hospital.”, my MA told me.” Yes, I may too. But they are resting this time of the day and if I can do why should I refer the case to them.”, I said and returned to the Hollywood game.

4. One morning in the OPD an officer from the Signal Corps came to me and asked, “ Saya Can you cure my colds. I’m having severe colds now.” I replied,” Bogyi, we cannot cure common colds. It will come and go. We have medicines and means that could relive you of the symptoms only.” “What about Vitamin C and Analgesin tablets, Bogyi?” “I told you they will relieve the symptoms sometimes, but they won’t cure it.” “Oh, that’s terrible.”, so saying he left. Later he told Captain Hla Maung (Dr) that I refused to cure his common colds.

I explained to Ko Hla Maung what happened and he laughed. I still have a problem with language as some people used imprecisely. In medicine, cure and treatment is different. Cure means total removal of the cause of disease or malady whereas treatment means managing the case with or without cure, maybe there is some benefit. During our time in the 1960s there was no cure for any virus disease. We could just prevent it like small pox and poliomyelitis, but we could not cure it. We could relieve symptoms of common cold or acute coryza, but we could not cure it.

(A Shan Keainari Dancer)

5. One morning a captain from the Headquarters of the Eastern Command came to me and said,” Bogyi, there will be a Anyein show in the Independence Compound in a week and we like to eradicate the mosquitoes as Taing Hmu (Commander) would be watching. Have you got any anti-mosquito drugs or medicine?” I replied, “I don’t have any drugs or medicines that can eradicate mosquitoes. I have medicine that can treat malaria. But, for the eradication of mosquitoes in the field for that Anyein night you may try DDT.” He asked,” Do you have DDT?” “ No I don’t have it. DDT powder is kept by the anti-malarial units. Please contact them”, I told him.

The Captain returned to his Head Quarters and they managed to free the Independence Compound of mosquitoes by their own methods- cutting the bushes and grass, burning the garbage, draining the water of gullies and ravines, spraying DDT powders from the Malarial Unit at Shwe Nyaung. The Commander was pleased that he was not bitten by any mosquito that night.

(Shan Group Dance Thai-Yai)

6. One afternoon I was playing volleyball with my paramedics in the compound of my medical unit. A Captain from the Eastern Command came to me in his jeep and asked me to see a patient. I asked, “Where is the patient?” He said, “Saya, the patient is the wife of a big shot. She is at home in the compound of the Eastern Command. Can you go and see her?” I said,” Captain, I cannot see any patient in their home. If she comes here I’ll see her definitely. But we are instructed in our rules that we must not see any patient at home. I’m sorry.”

“Oh, then, it’s OK. I’ll report it.”, so saying he left.

Dr Thein Nyunt later told me they had their lady doctor in charge of Ob/Gyn ward to visit her home and see the patient. She was suffering from dysmenorrhoea and it was relieved. Dr Thein Nyunt was acting Assistant Medical Superintendent of the Sao San Htun Hospital at that time.

(A Chinese Tourist Posing at the Border Post Between China and Burma at Mongla)

7. One afternoon I was doing a minor surgery on a patient in my Unit and a Captain from the Eastern Command came to me asking me,” Saya, are you free in the evening today?” I replied, “I’m free as you know. I may be playing volleyball or I would be in my home that is Colonel Maung Thwin’s house in your compound. Any thing I can do?” He said, “Wives of our big shots want to inject with vitamins. They were asking whether you would be kind enough to fulfill their wishes at their homes. I replied,” They may come to the Medical Unit and get injected. But I cannot visit there home for injections, sorry.”

Departure from Taunggyi

One night Colonel Maung Thwin and I were relaxing in his house as he had come from Meiktila. He was still residing in Meiktila where his Medical Battalion Headquarters was still there. He told me while sipping Burmese plain tea, “Maung Nyo, you are a first class doctor and all the patients like you. You are supposed to go to Loilem and Hla Maung is ordered to go to Mongton. Now, the Director (Colonel Hla Han) wants you to be here in Taunggyi and some one more senior would be sent to Loilem as there are problems there. You are too young and fresh. Now, Captain Hla Maung is refusing to go to Mongton as he is recently married and his wife is going to join the army. Do you wish to go to Mongton? You will be at No. 7 Field Hospital as an independent charge?”

(Map of Shan State; Double Click on the Map to Enlarge)

I replied, “I’m ready to go any where. I joined the Burma Army to serve and treat patients. I’ll go wherever you ask me to go.” “OK, then. You go to Mongton as the Officer Commanding (OC) of the No. 7 Field Hospital. There are good buildings and facilities; also good people to serve you. Thank you very much. I’ll report this to the Commander here and to the Director.” “OK by me, Colonel”, I said. He was very grateful to me to help him solve this posting problem. He later became the Managing Director of the BPI (Burma Pharmaceutical Company) in Gyogon. He invited me to his factory and showed me around. He was more grateful to me when his daughter Pan Marlar Thwin (Pamelor) became my 2^nd MB student at the Institute of Medicine 2 in Mingaladon.

No. 7 Field Hospital, Mongton

Mongton and Mongsat are two famous towns in the State of Kengtung (Kyaing Ton). They were controlled by the KMT Army in the 1950s. Brigadier Kyaw Zaw had to repel the KMTs with difficulty. General Tin U (Vice President of the NLD) was then a Lieutenant Colonel commanding the No. 1 Burma regiment under Brigadier Kyaw Zaw. There are two plates commemorating their success in Mongsat.

( Beautiful Cherry Trees in the Shan State)

During our times in the 1960s I had to board a Dakota plane from Nam Sam to reach Mongsat. From Mongsat I had to travel by a Dodge Jeep car to Mongton. It took the whole day to cover a distance of 44 miles from Mongsat to Mongton as the mountain roads were so unreliable. If there were a heavy rain and land slide cars had to wait for a week or so to clear open the blocked road. Mongton and Mongsat were each controlled by a Myosa, both in turn paid tribute to the Sawbwa (Saopha) of Kengtung before General Ne Win made the Sawbwas relinquish their hereditary rights.

Dr Maung Maung Nyo

08.02.2009