10/10/2025
๐๐ผ๐น๐น๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ต ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ง๐ถ๐บ๐ฒ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐
When ๐๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ข๐ด (not his real name) first arrived at Hospital Kuala Lumpur, his family did not know what to expect, but they were sure that he needed help. Living in Malaysia as he awaits his UNHCR registration, Thomas, who is a Myanmar man in his 30s, has been struggling with Schizophrenia with little support.
Thomasโ mother and sister, who are his caregivers, often felt lost about the next steps regarding his care. Language barriers made communication with the hospital staff difficult, and without a valid UNHCR card, each of his psychiatric consultations cost them RM120. Even then, he could only receive enough medication to last him five days. Though schizophrenia is a lifelong condition, Thomasโ ability to access treatment seemed temporary and out of reach under these circumstances. As Thomasโ symptoms persisted, his and his familyโs concern for his condition grew.
Fortunately, the family soon became connected with HEI, and Thomas was able to access and continue mental health care. Through ongoing follow-ups, education, and coordination with public healthcare providers and pharmacies, HEI has been providing Thomas and his family with practical and emotional support, which helps them to regain a sense of control. This includes hospital visit accompaniments, language translation support, and ensuring a consistent medication supply. Gradually, Thomasโ condition began to stabilize. Today, he is calmer, more communicative, and is able to reconnect with his loved ones.
Thomasโ story is one of many that highlights how collaboration across sectors, such as public healthcare providers, communities, and NGOs, can ensure that refugees are not left behind in mental health care.
๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ถ๐๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฎ ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐
As climate change worsens and conflicts spread globally, forced displacement has become one of todayโs gravest humanitarian crises. Families are forced to flee their homes by violence, persecution, and the pain of loss, trauma, and uncertainty. This makes refugees five times more likely to experience depression, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress than the general population. For women, up to one in five experience sexual or gender-based violence. These realities highlight an urgent need for trauma-informed, specialised mental health care that can help refugees rebuild stability and hope.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ ๐ฎ๐น๐ฎ๐๐๐ถ๐ฎ
In Malaysia, refugees face additional barriers. Without legal recognition or protections, refugees face significant barriers in accessing healthcare, education, and stable employment. With only 1.27 psychiatrists per 100,000 people in Malaysia, far below the World Health Organization (WHO)โs recommended ratio of 10 per 100,000, local mental health services are already overstretched. Therefore, community-based organizations and NGOs like HEI play a vital role in bridging the gap, delivering support where existing systems lack capacity.
๐๐๐โ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ด๐๐ต ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ฑ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐๐
In early 2025, the sudden termination of funding by the US Department of State severely disrupted the refugee protection space, including targeted mental health services. This caused HEIโs team to shrink from 35 to 11, and several community-based programs were forced to be discontinued.
Yet, despite these challenges, HEI remains steadfast in prioritizing essential mental health care for refugees and asylum-seekers. Through a combination of in-house services and support to help refugees navigate public health systems, we have continued to provide psychiatric care, psychological and behavioral interventions, psychosocial support, and treatment adherence assistance to 183 refugees and asylum seekers with severe mental health conditions since the disruption to our funding earlier this year. Enabling refugees to navigate the public healthcare system has included additional coordination efforts, such as preparing clinical summaries for doctors, translating, post-clinic psychoeducation, liaising with hospital staff for appointments, arranging transport, and monitoring treatment adherence. These efforts aim to prevent relapse, reduce risk, and support both refugee patients and their families alongside public healthcare workers.
In parallel, HEIโs community-based Psychological First Aid (PFA) initiative trains refugees to be first responders to mental distress, thus strengthening community resilience. While not a replacement for specialized care, the program empowers refugees to take an active role in early mental health support and prevention.
๐ ๐๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐๐ผ ๐๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป
Thomasโ story reminds us that even in difficult circumstances, recovery and dignity are possible when compassion meets collaborative care. Yet, countless others like him continue to struggle in silence, facing the double challenges of displacement and limited access to mental health services.
On this World Mental Health Day, HEI calls on partners across the public, private, and NGO sectors to stand together in solidarity. We must move beyond crisis-oriented care and integrate refugees into sustainable, accessible healthcare systems that promote prevention, treatment, and long-term stability. Strengthening the protection ecosystem through coordinated, trauma-informed services is vital, as is investing in the capacity and collaboration needed to build resilience for the future.
Equally important, we must advocate for legal recognition and work rights for refugees in Malaysia to promote dignity, self-reliance, and access to essential services. These actions are not just policy goals. Rather, they are lifelines that determine whether people like Thomas can heal and thrive.
While long-term solutions must focus on building inclusive, sustainable systems, in the meantime, if you wish to support HEIโs mental health initiatives or explore partnership opportunities, please reach out to us at [email protected]. Your contribution helps ensure that refugees can continue receiving the care they need and have their hope restored.
As Dr. Kestel of WHO reminds us,โ๐๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ข๐ญ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ต๐ฉ ๐ด๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ต ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ณ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ค๐ช๐ฆ๐ด ๐ช๐ด ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ค๐ฉ๐ข๐ณ๐ช๐ต๐บ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ข๐ญ - ๐ช๐ต ๐ช๐ด ๐ด๐ถ๐ณ๐ท๐ช๐ท๐ข๐ญ, ๐ฅ๐ช๐จ๐ฏ๐ช๐ต๐บ, ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ค๐ฐ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ๐บ.โ
Letโs work together to make that foundation stronger - for Thomas, and for every person striving to live, heal, and flourish, no matter the circumstances.
Promoting and protecting the right to health for all Over the past 15 years, Health Equity Initiatives (HEI) has committed to building a world where everyone is entitled to enjoy the highest attainable standard of health. ABOUT US Our grass roots work focuses on refugees and asylum seekers Through i...
