The Malaysian Insight

BAD experiences of discrimination at public hospitals are putting off refugees from seeking treatment, an aid worker and those from the displaced persons community here said.

Women for Refugees (WFR) founder Arissa Jemaima said she knew of at least 30 accounts of refugees who have told her how they experienced discrimination in hospitals because of their status.

Most times, she said refugees told her that while doctors would treat them, it was some nurses who were rude and unkind.

“If the vaccination for refugees is to be held in hospitals, then I foresee many will be discouraged from going,” the 24-year-old Arissa said.

She said the attitude towards refugees stemmed from the fact the Malaysian government does not recognise them legally.

“This is what makes some doctors and nurses in hospitals clueless as to what to do when a refugee comes in

“We can’t blame nurses or doctors if they don’t know how to deal with refugees,” said Arissa, adding that the government should provide a better framework in order to facilitate the process of refugees seeking treatment at public hospitals.

While refugees are not recognised by the government here, one with a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) card can receive a subsidy of 50% on hospital bills.

Siti, a 44-year-old refugee from Myanmar, told The Malaysian Insight she felt discriminated against when it came to paying for treatment.

She was once asked to place a deposit of RM2,000 at a certain hospital and told that it was to prevent her from running away without paying after receiving treatment.

As she didn’t have the money, she went to another hospital where she ended up paying several hundred ringgit for the same reason.

Siti said she has also been scolded for not speaking Bahasa Malaysia fluently.

“My Bahasa Malaysia is not very fluent. There was once a nurse who questioned me (rudely) and scolded me for not being able to speak well even though I have lived here for so long,” she said.

When she once delivered a child and was in pain during labour, Siti said nurses told her off for shouting and made sarcastic remarks at her along the lines of “you’re happy when you get married but now you’re screaming in pain”.

Arissa of WFR said refugees were on the receiving end of such behaviour, whether they sought treatments for a migraine or to deliver a baby.

“This is why my organisation has started working with Doctors On Ground, a civil society that provides better medical services to vulnerable communities,” she said.

Another refugee from Myanmar, Maria, 38, said during her labour at a hospital, she was told by nurses it was better if she had just delivered her baby at home.

“I know we are foreigners and their priority is to help the locals but I hope they can see us all being one, from the same human race,” she said.

Restaurant worker Rashidah, 46, also from Myanmar, said she once accompanied a pregnant friend to hospital where they were made to wait although her friend had severe labour pains.

“They told us to just sit and wait although my friend was screaming in so much pain.

“I am already afraid of going to hospitals due to the number of Covid-19 cases but with discrimination taking place there, I am even more afraid of going,” Rashidah said.

Another refugee activist, Chow Shenn Kuan, said her organisation, Kakak, tries to ensure that refugees needing hospital treatment are accompanied by a volunteer.

“This is to ensure a seamless process of access to healthcare. The volunteer can help tackle any miscommunication between healthcare personnel and the refugee and to build trust, as refugees still fear possible detention, in general,” she said.

Chow added that many refugees are currently facing mental health issues due to the lack of opportunities for income and because of past trauma.

Civil society groups working with refugees have said they are still in the dark over the government’s Covid-19 vaccination plan for this group.

They said the refugee community was also afraid of being detained by the authorities despite a government pledge not to do so.

In February, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said undocumented migrants would not be detained when they come forward for Covid-19 vaccination.

He said the government would be reaching out to foreign embassies, international organisations and civil societies to assist in encouraging undocumented migrants to be vaccinated.

Khairy, who is also the coordinating minister for the National Covid-19 immunisation programme, said the government must build trust with refugee communities so they, too, will come forward willingly for vaccination.

According to UNHCR, as of end of January, there are some 178,710 refugees and asylum-seekers registered with the agency in Malaysia. – April 29, 2021.