Event Summary
On 17 February 2026, the Myanmar military junta enacted amendments to the Private Health Service Law, inserting new provisions that strictly prohibit the teaching of politics, religion, or subjects deemed “incompatible with Myanmar culture” in private medical training schools. The amendment to Section 25 specifically requires those who establish, supervise, or manage private health services, along with healthcare providers, to ensure that such subjects are not taught in training schools. The law also introduces two new regulated categories—private medical training schools and private outpatient surgery services—with stringent licensing requirements. Operating without a license now carries prison sentences of one to five years for hospitals and training schools, and three months to one year for other facilities, plus fines. This amendment directly targets underground medical training networks established by Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) healthcare workers and resistance forces, who have operated parallel health systems and training programs since the 2021 coup, often integrating discussions of medical ethics under dictatorship and public health in conflict zones into their curricula.