Mae Tao Clinic in Mae Sot, Thailand, will move to a new location because of financial challenges, according to Dr. Cynthia Maung, the founder of the clinic.

Speaking to The Irrawaddy on Wednesday, Cynthia Maung said, “I’m sure that the new place is not going be perfect at the beginning. We have to take it step by step.”

She said the cost of rent at the current clinic location is 200,000 baht (US $6,680) per month.

She said some international donors have cut the amount of their contribution, adding to the clinic's financial woes. A source close to the clinic said that some donors have reduced their contributions by 20 to 30 percent.

The clinic is supported by about 10 organizations including USAID, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, Canada and Italy.

The strategic focus of many international donors began to change about two years ago when they shifted their first priority to organizations working inside Burma, said observers.

The Mae Tao clinic provides free treatment to Burmese migrants and refugees in Thailand, in addition to many Burmese residents of Karen State who cross the border to receive treatment.

According to Dr. Thiha Maung, a former vice chairman of the clinic, “Many patients are from Karen and Mon State, but there were some patients from upper Burma who need eye treatment. About 400 patients came to the clinic for treatment every day.”

Mae Tao clinic began in 1989. In 2008, after Cyclone Nargis, the clinic sent a medical team to treat cyclone victims in the Irrawaddy delta.