KUALA LUMPUR – Allowing refugees to work legally and giving them access to insurance schemes will lessen the burden on taxpayers, said a United Nations official.
UN High Commissioner for Refugees public health officer Dr Susheela Balasundaram told the “Speaking for the Unspoken Part 1: The Vulnerable Population and Covid-19” webinar yesterday that Malaysia can emulate neighbouring Thailand, which offers universal healthcare and has been touted as a model country.
Thailand offers insurance schemes where refugees, migrants and undocumented individuals make payments that cover their healthcare, she said, adding that this is a sustainable way of offering protection.
“We’re always debating about using taxpayers’ money. If you allow refugees to work in Malaysia by giving them access to legal work and temporary legal stay, and regularise undocumented migrants, they can all contribute to an insurance system.”
The UN estimates that Malaysia hosts some 178,000 refugees, while its migrant population numbers 2.9 million. Of the refugees, 86% are from Myanmar.
Dr Susheela said some insurance schemes are already available to migrants with papers.
However, she said, “if you have small pockets of insurance, it’s not sustainable enough to allow it to work”.
“There’s already an existing one, so why don’t we expand it?”
This could be made compulsory for all non-citizens, she added.
“Amid this pandemic, we must ensure that everyone has access to healthcare because we don’t know when the next pandemic is coming.
“Let them (refugees and undocumented migrants) contribute to their own healthcare, they can do that. Let this be managed in a proper way by having a framework and ensuring that they have the right to work.”
The webinar, organised by the Medico-Legal Society of Malaysia, also touched on the topics of vulnerable communities like the homeless, as well as indigenous groups and prisoners. – The Vibes, November 1, 2020
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