Once regarded as one of the most backward communities in the hills, the Mro have seen significant progress over time. Among the many who have advanced, Sanchang Mro has emerged as the first woman doctor from this community.
However, her journey was anything but easy.
After witnessing the long-term illness of her mother and the death of her sister due to a lack of medical care, her father, Kaingpre Mro, decided to make one of his children a doctor.
Sanchang also said her desire to become a doctor stemmed from witnessing her sister’s death in childhood.
Sanchang Mro was a student from the fourth batch (2017-2018 session) at Rangamati Medical College. Having completed her medical studies, she is now interning at the same college.
Dr Sanchang Mro hails from the Paia Karbari Para village in Alikadam upazila, Bandarban, and is the daughter of Kaingpre Mro and Tumlung Mro.
Sanchang shared that her initial education began at home with her father. In between his work in the jhum fields, her father would teach her to write letters on the ground or sometimes on banana leaves.
He believed that education would help them gain knowledge about medicine, especially after the loss of her sister due to a lack of medical care.
Since there was no school in their village, her father enrolled her in a hostel called Lama Mission, far from the village. After a year, when that hostel closed, she was admitted to Teidang Hostel, managed by one Father Lupe.
During her stay there, she studied at Champatpara Government Primary School and then Alikadam Government High School until 2012. She received a talent pool scholarship in both the fifth and eighth grades.
Sanchang Mro also mentioned that due to a lack of good science teachers in Alikadam, she had to attend St Joseph's High School and College.
Despite financial difficulties, many teachers and sisters helped her in various ways. After her SSC exams, she cleared the entrance exam for Holy Cross College but could not enrol due to a lack of funds, leaving her heartbroken.
However, Sister Namita took her back to the college and arranged for her to study without paying any fees. Many teachers taught her for free, and Sister Mary Margaret even gave her pocket money from time to time.
After finishing her HSC exams, she did not return home due to financial constraints and continued to support her two younger siblings with her savings. With that money, she prepared for medical entrance exams.
She said taking the entrance exams was one of the toughest challenges in her life. Though she was in Dhaka, she was confined to the hostel and unfamiliar with the city. While her peers had their parents accompany them to the exams, she took them alone at various universities.
Sanchang told Dhaka Tribune that her happiest day was when she received the results from Rangamati Medical College. The next day, she prepared to go home, returning after nearly three years.
Since getting into medical college, she has not had to worry about finances anymore.
She said the chairman of Bandarban Hill District Council, Kyaw Shwe Hla, the Subarna Bhumi Foundation, and BSSB have all helped her in various ways. Senior students also supported her with bonuses, books, and supplies.
She further expressed that she wants to ensure that people in the hills do not die from a lack of medical care. “There is still a significant shortage of proper medical facilities in the hills.”
Thong Pre Mro, general secretary of the Alikadam-Naikhongchhari Mro Council, said: "Sanchang is the first woman doctor among the Mro. Her achievement is a blessing for the Mro community."