The world of Tzu Chi June 2020 (Vol.123)

TZU CHI 123 23 providing rehabilitation and psychological consultation services to refugees. To ensure continued support for the refugees throughout the MCO, the Free Clinic staff conducted rehabilitation and counselling sessions online, guiding and offering advice to the refugees through digital platforms, videos or video calls. Audio recordings and phone calls were also utilized for the benefit of refugees who do not own a smartphone. The medical team at the Free Clinic, led by Dr. Foo, have been going the extra mile to extend their services to refugees, no matter the circumstances. As a healthcare institution, the Free Clinic implemented the necessary precautions to protect its medical staff serving on the frontlines, who are at a high risk of infection, as well as volunteers and patients equally susceptible to contracting the virus. “We’ve set up counters at the entrance to the Free Clinic to conduct temperature checks on visiting patients, besides distributing face masks and disinfecting them with alcohol. If we detect a patient with Covid-19 symptoms, we’ll directly contact the relevant authorities in the Ministry of Health (MOH) and send the patient to the hospital for further treatment,” explained Dr. Foo. Since the commencement of the MCO, the number of refugees arriving at the Free Clinic to seek medical treatment has declined from 120 daily to approximately 30. The Free Clinic staff have reconfigured the seating arrangement in the waiting area by spacing the seats above a metre apart, while accommodating a maximum of 20 patients within the premises at any one time. Steps have also been taken to maintain a safe distance between clinic staff and patients at the dispensary. Markers have been strategically placed at various sites to indicate to patients the specific positions on which to sit or stand to facilitate social distancing. Doctors at the clinic are tasked with educating patients on hygiene and sanitation before proceeding with medical consultations, including teaching patients proper hand washing techniques and imparting social distancing guidelines, with interpreters translating the information into the refugee patients’ respective languages. The MCO restrictions have been eased in May, followed by the reopening of most business sectors. Yet, the refugees who are returning to work are confronted with another hurdle: the lack of funding for Covid-19 testing. Even a refugee household capable of earning a relatively decent monthly income of RM1,500 is left with little or no savings after paying the rent and spending on living expenditure. The cost of a Covid-19 test ranges from RM300 to RM400, a substantial sum that adds to the financial burden of refugees who are already struggling to make ends meet. “We’re aware of the refugees’ plight. Hence, we had a discussion with Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) and managed to secure approval for 1,500 free Covid-19 tests. We’ll be able to conduct the tests at the Free Clinic for the refugees with the permission of the MOH. Once the 1,500 test kits have been depleted, the Clinic will replenish the supply of the kits to continue providing testing services to the refugees. This initiative has significantly reduced the barriers to testing, while at the same time offering increased incentive for the refugees to come forward to undergo Covid-19 testing,” surmised Dr. Foo, who strives with his team to help refugees cope with challenging times. Are We Ready for the New Normal?