12-28 | For two days, Hadia who is 9 years old has refused to eat anything, even her favourite fruit, bananas. Her mother, Farida, took her to several health facilities and doctors, but her condition never seemed to improve. “I really don’t know the pain she’s going through, but I am here with her hoping she gets better soon. Anything people said, I tried. I took her to many doctors and paid a lot for her prescriptions, but she did not get better, and she even developed diarrhoea which got worse,” Farida says.
4-25 | Pregnant women from refugee communities in Malaysia have limited access to adequate maternal healthcare services, such as antenatal and postnatal care, skilled birth attendants, emergency obstetric care, and family planning services, which results in the high rate of maternal mortality among refugees.According to a study by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in 2019*, the maternal mortality rate among refugees in Malaysia was estimated to be 62 per 100,000 live births, which is significantly higher than the national average of 36 per 100,000 live births.
8-8 | Since March 2022, an MSF – Hong Kong team with doctors, nurses, psychologists, and engineers, has conducted multi-disciplinary assessments in 16 elderly homes and residential care homes for persons with disabilities to cope with potential future outbreaks. The team has provided key recommendations on ventilation and air quality, infection and prevention control, as well as mental health and emotional well-being of the residents and staff.
5-4 | The COVID-19 vaccine Humanitarian Buffer (HB) is failing its mission to support people hit by the pandemic and struggling to access immunisation, says Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). The HB is part of the COVAX mechanism*, whose aim is to assist groups of people who do not have access to COVID-19 vaccination in situations of humanitarian emergency. However, MSF’s recent experience in northern Syria has highlighted the system’s limitations and ultimate failure to fulfil its purpose.
2-17 | CAPE TOWN - A vaccination support programme developed by MSF in Khayelitsha, South Africa, in partnership with the Western Cape Department of Health (WCDoH), has shown that it is possible to target and protect individuals with comorbidities that increase the risk of severe disease and death from COVID-19.