CM – No money, no documents, Rohingyas fight Covid symptoms with home remedies

The helplessness in the face of COVID-19 is taking place in Madanpur Khadar in southeast Delhi, one of the several camps in the city for Rohingya Muslims in which refugees compete against each other alone.

Published: May 21, 2021 1:00 am |

Last updated: May 21, 2021 01:00

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NEW DELHI: With no money for treatment and no documents to allow them to be vaccinated or tested, they are the Rohingyas. The nowhere people, defending themselves as an ongoing pandemic, are pushing them further into the shadows of a city they call home.

The helplessness in the face of COVID-19 is playing out in Madanpur Khadar in southeast Delhi, a of the several camps in the city for Rohingya Muslims, where the refugees fight alone, with no access to testing centers, vaccines or doctors.

The government has relaxed testing and vaccination guidelines even for those who do not have the required documentation but many refugees stated that this made no noticeable difference locally.

The Madanpur Khadar camp is home to around 270 Rohingya Muslims who have fled their homes in Myanmar to avoid persecution. </ Many of the residents of the slum cluster stated that they had learned to manage the symptoms independently, depending on home remedies such as saltwater gargling and retreating to their cramped houses to shelter them Quarantine if they think it's gotten worse.

Among those showing symptoms is Amir *, a young daily bet who gargles hot water four times a day to make his cough go away.

It helps a little, but he doesn’t know what to do if the situation gets worse.

« What can we do? We can’t get tests, we can’t get vaccinated. For everything you need, we need government documents that we don’t have, « he said.

 » There are currently around 20-25 people who have symptoms of Covid. We treat each other at home. Hospitalization is not even an option as we don’t have the necessary documents, « he said.

Last month, when the pandemic peaked, around 50-60 Rohingya refugees at Madanpur Khadar camp showed symptoms of Covid .

In Delhi there are around 900 Rohingyas living in camps in Madanpur Khadar, Kalindi Kunj and Shaheen Bagh.

He believes it was COVID-19 but cannot be sure, although he somehow managed it to take her to the hospital.

« My wife died after suffering from Covid-like symptoms. I took my wife to the hospital, but she died before she could be treated, « he said, adding that a UN-issued ID card made it easier for him to get into a hospital.

Many others fear it because they fear they will be deported if they are identified as refugees.

« People feel identified as outsiders when they go to the hospital, » said the father of two.

Naseer *, who in The neighborhood runs a small grocery store also said people are afraid when they have symptoms.

While untreated COVID-19 poses a risk not only to individuals but also to the community, it’s not just about that Health of Rohingya Muslim Refugees.

« Most of us work in the informal sector and have lost our jobs at this stage. The last year and a half have been tough. We couldn’t find work, and those who work put their lives at risk, « said Naseer *.

The majority of those in the Madanpur Khadar settlement and others work as day wage and contract workers, rag pickers and other odd jobs.

Both Naseer * and Amir * came to India in 2012 to look for a better life and to escape the brutalities of the Rohingyas in Myanmar’s state of Rakhine.

About 900 of them live in Delhi in camps in Madanpur Khadar, Kalindi Kunj and Shaheen Bagh.

A representative of the Rohingya human rights initiative said health facilities have always been a problem for the Rohingya refugees.

« Rohingyas are more exposed because of the congested areas in which they live. » It’s not just about coronavirus, but other diseases as well.

« We have identified cases where symptoms of the coronavirus appear. However, without the required documents, treatment has been a problem and vaccination is a very big problem, « he said, asking not to be identified.

According to recent guidelines from the Ministry of Health, those without ID will also go through special sessions included in the Covid vaccination campaign.

The list includes nomads (including sadhu / saints from different religions), prison inmates, inmates in psychiatric facilities, citizens in old people’s homes, beggars on the roadside, people in rehabilitation centers / camps and other identified eligible persons ages 18+.

The center has asked state governments to set up task forces at the district level to identify those who do not have any of the seven mandatory photo IDs.

A spokesman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees ( UNHCR) said the inclusion of vaccines against social security Networks in health responses is key to protecting refugees and their hosts from the COVID-19 virus.

« UNHCR welcomes the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare’s SOP for COVID-19 vaccination of people without mandatory ID .

This provides vulnerable groups, including refugees and asylum seekers, the opportunity to have access to vaccines.

Protecting their health also protects the health of their host communities and members of society, the PTI spokesman said in a written Answer.

Myanmar does not recognize Rohingyas as an indigenous ethnic group and insists that they are Bangladeshi migrants living in the country illegally.

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