REFUGEES in Malaysia should not be made to pay full medical fees at government hospitals, said the Bar Council’s committee on refugees.

Bar Council Migrants, Refugees and Immigration Affairs Committee (MRIAC) chairman M. Ramachelvam said refugees and asylum seekers should be treated differently and not lumped in the same category as foreign workforce.

“When the go to the hospitals they are given a discount of 50% on what a foreign worker pays. This is high for them.

“If a Malaysian patient pays RM500, a foreign worker will end up paying RM5,000 for the same treatment.

“The government gives a 50% discount for refugees and asylum seekers, but it’s still very high for them,” he said on the sidelines of the National Consultation on a Comprehensive Policy Framework for Migrant Workers in Kuala Lumpur today.

Ramachelvam said that the situation for refugees and asylum seekers who are fleeing persecution and seeking refuge in the country is different from that of a foreign worker.

“The workers all come with an insurance scheme as part of their employment contract, which covers them up to RM20,000 in medical fees.”

As of September 2018 there are 161,454 refugees and asylum seekers registered with UNCHR in Malaysia.

People from Myanmar are the largest number seeking refuge in Malaysia at 139,920, followed by Pakistan (5,816), Yemen (2,954), Somalia (2,909) and Syria (2, 851).

Ramachelvam said that the government should make testing and treatment for infectious diseases free, have fully-equipped clinics at detention centres and increase access for children to vaccination services for refugees and asylum seekers. – October 17, 2018.