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COMMENT | I was recently given the privilege to be a medical volunteer with Mercy Malaysia. Receiving the call at the eleventh hour, I initially thought that I would not be able to participate as the odds were stacked against me. I had yet to fill out my leave form and even if I managed to do so, I have to get my leave sanctioned.

Fortunately, everything fell into place. I got the green light and I was one step away from checking an item off my bucket list - serving on a humanitarian mission.

I received an email from Mercy Malaysia, giving guidance to what should be brought along. Armed with the essentials in my bag, I headed to the Mercy headquarters in Jalan Air Langgak to attend the briefing session for our mission.

It was there where I met my other two colleagues - one a medical officer and the other, an assistant medical officer. I was the youngest of three.

I was given repeated warnings to be mentally prepared as there were instances of volunteers forced to return home as they were mentally unfit. Bracing myself for the worst, we left for Dhaka a couple of hours later.

Upon arrival, we were warmly received by the Mercy staff. I was taken aback by the Bangladeshi capital - although it was 3am, the roads were choked with vehicles. To make matters worse, motorists in the capital do not seem to abide by the traffic rules and beating the traffic lights seem to be a norm.

Along the way, the loud honks and massive potholes kept me from dozing off, even with the jet lag. It was a surprise to be welcomed with closed shutters at the hotel as apparently, it is a common security feature to avoid trafficking or kidnappings.

In the morning, we had a good breakfast before heading out to the airport to catch our flight to Cox’s Bazar. The domestic airport was dilapidated, and we had to carry our bags manually as they did not have a baggage carousel service. The flight to Cox’s Bazar on the southeast coast of Bangladesh took us 50 minutes but the 400km distance would have taken us 10 hours by road.

We were one of the first foreign medical teams to arrive, and the provisions for our medical services were initiated in two static clinics at the Balu Khali and Thaing Khali camps respectively from 9am to 5pm daily for the next two weeks.

Real eye-opener

The first day was a real eye-opener for me.

As I was waiting for the rest of my team beside the van before boarding the jeep, it dawned upon me that my shoes will inevitably get dirty as most of the roads near my hostel were muddy.

As the thought played in my mind, I noticed a beggar unable to walk, dragging himself, crawling towards me with threadbare clothes. By the time he reached to me, he was soaked and drenched in mud. It was heart-breaking to see him extending his arms out, begging for money.

In that moment, I realised that their problems made mine look very much smaller. Many times, I realised that we are so preoccupied and focused on materialistic gains that we tend to forget to appreciate the little things in life. This man was not a Rohingya, and the Bangladeshis too live in extreme poverty.

I was appalled by what I saw when I arrived at the camp. It was such a densely populated area with very minimal amenities. No words or pictures can acutely describe the suffering I saw. The conditions they live in are way below internationally acceptable levels.

By the time we got to our clinic, we had over 50 patients waiting for us. We swung into action immediately with our local NGO, COAST, providing translators to help us communicate with the patients. Unfortunately, we were only able to provide symptomatic treatments to them due to the limited resources available.

This became obvious when we had to cease service three hours later as we had run out of medication. The daily influx of over 2,000 refugees a day compounded our problems further and added to our frustration.

We managed to secure additional funding and medicine that were sponsored by our Iranian counterparts. Balu Khali camp was busier than the Thaing Khali camp, where we saw an average of 400 patients a day. The most common cases were gastroenteritis, upper respiratory tract infection, skin diseases, and malnutrition.

A ticking time bomb

The situation at the camps was chaotic, with incidences of refugees fighting among themselves to beat the queues for medical treatment. They appear impatient, restless and unsure of the fate that awaits them if they are forced to return.

Many among us whine about having chronic ailments or illness without realising that at the very least, we have access to the best doctors.

For the Rohingyas, healthcare seems to be a privilege, not a necessity. For some, it was the first time they had ever seen a doctor. I recalled a time when there was a patient who while waiting patiently for his turn to see me, had fallen backward suddenly and had a fit right outside the clinic.

I was reduced to putting him in the left lateral position while the other refugees clustered around. I kept asking them to move away to provide more ventilation for the patient. In a matter of minutes after his spontaneous fits, he had postictal drowsiness.

He, however, declined the water I offered and was adamant to leave. His condition was a ticking time bomb and we were unable to provide him with optimal treatment. Most of them shared similarly bleak futures.

Bangladesh is planning to build one of the world's largest refugee camps to house approximately 800,000 Rohingya. Seven-hundred-and-ninety hectares of land (2,000 acres) next to the existing Kutupalong camp were set aside last month for new Rohingya arrivals.

However, the number of newcomers exceeded 500,000 – adding to the 300,000 refugees already in Bangladesh – so another 400 hectares (1,000 acres) has been set aside for a new camp. The Bangladeshi military has been ordered to take on a larger role in helping with the construction and food distribution. The country’s act of kindness is commendable, despite their poverty.

What happens now?

According to the UNHCR, it would take another two decades for the refugee crisis in the region to settle down and abate.

Sustainability is the key to a crisis of this magnitude. Bangladeshis are already feeling the pinch due to their generosity, as the price of rice and other staples have risen because of increased demand. For most Bangladeshis, this will burn a hole in their pockets, and most will find it difficult to make ends meet.

Since most Rohingyas have little or no formal education, they are willing to work for much less, compared to the Bangladeshis in the country. This will further exacerbate matters as the Bangladeshis are already being paid a pittance. This exploitation of labour, coupled with the rising inflation will pit both communities against each other.

Before things go out of hand, richer nations should contribute more to this global crisis. Increasingly, countries are adopting a more inward-looking policy - what’s in for me? -  before lifting a finger. Similar sentiments can be felt in Malaysia, as many netizens expressed their displeasure with the Malaysian government’s decision to provide the Rohingyas a field hospital recently.

Personally, I feel that the community needs more than that, as they are very vulnerable. Right now, the Rohingyas are like infants requiring our assistance as they are unable to stand own.

The community needs more than just doctors. The world has a part to play in this global crisis. We need teachers to teach the children, journalists to raise awareness. Everyone has a role to play, and we can do so as it is within our capacity. Service to mankind is akin service to God.

This was a life-changing experience. The satisfaction of being able to make a difference in their lives has made me more committed to doing more humanitarian work in the near future.

Do what we can to make a world a better place. With this trip, not only have I become a better doctor, I became a better human being.


MYELONE THARMASEELAN is a member of the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) and serves on their Task Force Committee.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.

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