Matupi medical doctor demands money for free birth certificate

24 June 2014 – Dr. Zaw Thein Kyaw in Matupi, Chin State demanded thousands of money for a birth certificate, which is supposed to be free of charge.

Parents said that the Burmese medical doctor extorted at least 30,000 Kyats (US$30) per birth certificate at the Matupi hospital, according to the Chinland Post.

Mrs. Sang Lian said that she had paid 60,000 Kyats for her two children’s birth certificates while Pi Hle Par was charged more than 100,000 Kyats for three.

A local said that the amount was too much for them to pay, adding: “People are struggling for their daily survival and it is not easy for them to earn that much money.”

“When people complained, he said that President Thein Sein himself has already permitted government officials to receive gifts worth up to 300,000 Kyats, and that it is not a bribe,” he added.

A source from the Health Department in Chin State confirms that a birth certificate is free and that there is no charge for the issuance.#