Groups raising funds for immigrant expecting mothers

CORONAVIRUS | Expecting mothers would be under a lot of pressure in the final days leading up to childbirth.

More so in the current times of battling with the Covid-19 outbreak, and worse, when the expecting mother - in this case from among the undocumented immigrants - have little to no access to healthcare facilities.

Taking into account their challenging situation, a collective of NGOs are aiming to raise at least RM150,000 to assist an initial group of 35 expecting mothers in the Klang Valley.

"With each delivery costing between RM3,000 and RM4,000 (this may double in the case of Caesarean sections and other complications), the target is to raise at least RM150,000.

"There are sufficient funds only for 10 pregnant mothers at the moment," said an alert shared on the Caremongering Malaysia Facebook group - set-up as a community response platform to the Covid-19 crisis.

"They (the NGOs) have written to the Health Ministry to request for a fee waiver for pregnant undocumented mothers and are also requesting a fee waiver from private hospitals for Covid-19 tests.

"For now, funds are urgently needed."

Coordinating NGOs for the Women Emergency Fund initiative comprise of groups working with undocumented immigrants, refugees, street children and the homeless communities.

It was first announced last week by Yayasan Chow Kit's founder, Hartini Zainudin, along with details on how to donate.

She had identified migrant women whose husbands were daily wage earners and lost their jobs as a result of project shutdowns during the movement control order (MCO).

When contacted, Indonesian grassroots activist Nasrikah Sarah noted that the ongoing MCO had impacted both undocumented and documented immigrants, with a sudden increase in couples who lost their jobs.

"This is a difficult and risky situation for the safety of babies and expecting mothers if they are unable to access hospital facilities.

"A fee waiver for the delivery process will greatly help expecting undocumented immigrants and their babies," she told Malaysiakini.

In welcoming the groups' fundraising initiative, Nasrikah said other assistance to be considered include food aid and basic baby care items, in the 40 days after birth.

Since the enforcement of the MCO on March 18, there has been a growing list of initiatives by Malaysians who embraced the #kitajagakita spirit and extending it to all who are in need. - Mkini