THE United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has called on refugee communities and asylum seekers in Malaysia experiencing Covid-19 symptoms to seek medical treatment immediately, said its associate external relations officer, Yante Ismail.

She said this follows reports that members of refugee communities and asylum seekers attended a religious gathering at Sri Petaling Mosque from February 27 to March 1.

“Refugee communities and asylum seekers registered with the UNHCR will be tested for free in public hospitals in Malaysia if they are suspected of (having) Covid-19,” she said.

Yante said the UNHCR welcomes the announcement by the government that the undocumented and those with expired documents, including refugees and asylum seekers, will not be arrested when approaching medical facilities.

She said this is an important step to build trust and confidence to help those in need of medical attention to come forward.

“The UNHCR hopes that the government will continue the positive policy of providing free treatment and testing for individuals who exhibit Covid-19 symptoms.

“It is important not to separate refugees and asylum seekers from the rest of the population in relation to Covid-19. The responsibility for prevention and management lies equally with all individuals in every community in Malaysia.” 

Yante said since the start of the outbreak, the UNHCR has been coordinating closely with the Health Ministry to ensure that all refugees and asylum seekers are included in the government’s national response measures and to prevent infection from spreading among the communities.

“The UNHCR, together with our civil society partners IMARET, Muslim Relief Agency and Mercy Malaysia, is also collaborating with Health Ministry district officers to reach out to refugee communities across Malaysia,” she said.

She said the UNHCR has set up an information portal at www.refugee-malaysia.org where all refugees, asylum seekers and organisations supporting refugees can get information on where to find help and services.

Yante said in addition to that, the UNHCR has also opened several hotlines in six different languages for refugees unable to access national crisis hotlines, besides providing interpreters.

As of last month, some 178,990 refugees and asylum seekers are registered with the UNHCR in Malaysia, including some 154,080 from Myanmar, comprising 101,010 Rohingyas, Chins (22,810) and others (30,250).

“Some 68% of refugees and asylum seekers are men and boys, while 32% are women and girls, whereas there are some 46,520 children below the age of 18,” she added. – Bernama, March 24, 2020.