Malaysia’s refugee health heroes in distress

Free Malaysia Today

When the hands that healed so many now falter, your support can renew their strength.   Donate to Kumpulan A.C.T.S Berhad (Maybank 514169334485, Swift: MBBEMYKL)  | Reference: ACTS Fundraiser.  Contact Rosemary Chong at 012 398 2358 for more information.   Story by: Frankie D’Cruz  Shot by: Hizami Safri  Presented by: Danish Raja Reza  Edited by: Maheshan Morgan   Read More:  https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2025/07/15/malaysias-refugee-health-heroes-in-distress   Free Malaysia Today is an independent, bi-lingual news portal with a focus on Malaysian current affairs.    Subscribe to our channel - http://bit.ly/2Qo08ry   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Check us out at https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com  Follow FMT on Facebook: https://bit.ly/49JJoo5  Follow FMT on Dailymotion: https://bit.ly/2WGITHM  Follow FMT on X: https://bit.ly/48zARSW  Follow FMT on Instagram: https://bit.ly/48Cq76h  Follow FMT on TikTok : https://bit.ly/3uKuQFp  Follow FMT Berita on TikTok: https://bit.ly/48vpnQG  Follow FMT Telegram - https://bit.ly/42VyzMX  Follow FMT LinkedIn - https://bit.ly/42YytEb  Follow FMT Lifestyle on Instagram: https://bit.ly/42WrsUj  Follow FMT on WhatsApp: https://bit.ly/49GMbxW  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Download FMT News App:  Google Play – http://bit.ly/2YSuV46  App Store – https://apple.co/2HNH7gZ  Huawei AppGallery - https://bit.ly/2D2OpNP   #FMTLifestyle #Refugees #ACTS #UNHCR #JRS

Transcript

00:00For nearly three decades, a call to serve has been a lifeline for sick refugees and

00:05asylum seekers in Malaysia, providing medical care and shelter to the most vulnerable.

00:11But in January, everything changed. A sudden 2 million ringgit a year US funding cut brought

00:18ACTS to the brink. Now, it's struggling to stay afloat, needing over 100,000 ringgit each month

00:25to keep two convalescent homes, a clinic, and mobile teams running. ACTS began in 1998 when

00:34Father Paul Das, then an assistant parish priest at St. Francis Xavier Church in Patalingjaya,

00:40gave shelter to two refugee families at the Jesuit house in Section 5, an Iranian family

00:46with a newborn suffering from a heart defect and a Congolese couple expecting a child.

00:51That simple act of compassion sparked something greater. Volunteers like Rosemary Chong stepped

00:58in and helped transform it into a movement. ACTS later launched mobile clinics, opened the

01:04Arrupe Clinic in Brickfields where refugees could safely seek treatment, and built two

01:09sanctuaries in Batu Arang to care for the chronically ill. With early support from the United Nations

01:15High Commissioner for Refugees and Jesuit Refugee Service, ACTS expanded across peninsular Malaysia.

01:23But by 2007, international funding began to shrink, and UNHCR support was gradually reduced.

01:30A US State Department grant in 2010 helped restore stability, until it was abruptly withdrawn in January

01:372025, part of a broader rollback of US foreign aid. This crisis is not just ACTSs to bear. It reflects a

01:47global retreat in humanitarian aid, where children go unvaccinated, mothers miss prenatal care, and bedbound

01:54patients are left without relief. You can help restore care where it's needed most. Donate, organize a

02:01fundraiser, volunteer your skills, or share this story, and stand with those who've never stopped serving others.

02:16Frankie Dacruz and Danish Rajareza, FMT.

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Transcript

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