REFUGEES are dying almost every day from Covid-19, civil society groups said.

Refugees are at high risk of infection as they often live in cramped quarters and are unable to take safety measures such as physical distancing, The Malaysian Insight was told.

Deaths from coronavirus among the community have grown recently compared to last year.

Alliance of Chin Refugees chairman James Bawi Thang Bik said the Chin refugee communities in Malaysia have reported daily deaths for three weeks now.

He is currently in quarantine himself after testing positive for the virus earlier this week. He was infected while distributing aid to refugees.

ElShaddai Centre executive and education director Dr Ng Oi Leng said Covid-19 deaths have also grown more frequent among the refugees and migrants she works with.

“For the whole of last year and early part of 2021, we didn’t hear of many deaths among the refugees or migrants. 

“Only in the recent surge, we are hearing (of) more and more (deaths) these (last) few weeks,” Ng said. 

The learning centre caters to refugees from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Indonesia, Somalia, Yemen, Cuba, Syria, Cambodia, the Philippines, and Bangladesh.

“When a family member is infected, usually the entire family will also be affected. Many of them live together and do not have the capacity for isolation,” Ng said. 

Those without severe symptoms remain at home, but the more serious cases who are admitted into hospital often do not come out alive, she added.

“Some of our students at the learning centre have lost their family members due to Covid-19. Some have lost their sole breadwinner. It is devastating.”

For refugees losing a family member feels like “hope being snuffed out”, Ng added.

Refugee rights activist Mahi Ramakrishnan, who runs Beyond Borders, said she was informed this week that 10 refugees have died of Covid. 

She said that there is a high rate of infection across refugees and migrant workers.

“The families of refugees who are Covid-positive are struggling to cope because of the congested spaces they live in,” she said. 

Mahi said a young community leader was admitted to the hospital with a Stage 4 infection.

She pulled through but her entire family was infected because of their cramped living conditions, Mahi said.

“And she fell sick again a few days after being discharged due to the after-effects of the infection. 

“This time around, the hospital refused to admit her because of a lack of room. She is now at home. 

“Refugee families need to quarantine and so food becomes a problem. She has very little money to fend for herself and her son,” Mahi said. 

Mahi added that refugees struggle with expenses needed to bury a loved one.

“I was informed by a community leader that each burial costs RM1,200,” she  said. 

Syrian refugee Hasan Al-Akraa, founder of Refugee Emergency Fund (REF) and Al-Hasan Volunteer Network said his group helped pay the burial fees for six refugees who died from Covid-19 in July. 

He said positive cases who get admitted to hospitals will receive free treatment and undergo the same procedures as Malaysians do.

But those who are told to home quarantine must cover their own food and medicine. This is where NGOs have to step in, as the refugees lack the funds to care for themselves.

Renee Koo, marketing and communications lead from Dignity for Children Foundation said it is a great challenge to help infected refugee families self-isolate. 

“We don’t have the expertise to handle quarantine centres. And it is difficult for refugees to get admitted. 

“We have just purchased self-testing kits, too, to be sent out to families who have symptoms,” Koo said. 

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) told The Malaysian Insight it does not track the number of deaths and relied on refugee communities to report fatalities.

Dr Susheela Balasundaram, UNHCR community based protection officer, said UNHCR only had on record 13 individuals who died due to Covid-19 since the pandemic began till the end of July this year. 

“UNHCR does not receive official notifications of the passing of asylum-seekers as healthcare systems are overstretched at this time. 

“We have been coordinating closely with the Crisis Preparedness and Response Centre, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Federal Territories, the Royal Malaysian Police and other related agencies.

“We are ensuring all refugee and asylum-seeking communities are included in the government’s national public health response measures,” Susheela said. 

Rfugees and support organisations can find help and services at www.refugee-malaysia.org. – August 8, 2021.