00:00As a frail Amanda Mei Chu and her adoptive father Dominic Damian stepped out of their car,
00:09their eyes fell on the hospital building, a sight that brought not just relief but hope after years
00:15of uncertainty. Today, Amanda was finally admitted to Sungai Bulo Hospital for scans and x-rays
00:23after being denied HIV treatment for eight years. Yesterday, FMT highlighted the story of Amanda,
00:32an abandoned baby born with HIV who had been on treatment since childhood but had her care
00:37abruptly cut off after being told she was not a Malaysian citizen. On the same day, the Malaysian
00:45AIDS Council and the Malaysian AIDS Foundation immediately stepped in to help, something Damian
00:51said was only possible because of FMT's media coverage. Besides MAC and MAF, there has been
01:00an exceptional number of people who just, strangers, kids, kin, who have just come forward and supported.
01:09Damian said Amanda's case shows how Malaysia's stateless children often fall through the cracks,
01:15pointing out how she was unable to access regular treatment despite living her whole life in the
01:21country. There is a birth certificate, but there is no background of a parent. Any abandoned child,
01:28you can't trace the parent. That's unfortunately what happens to them. My daughter, my daughter is
01:35just a symptom of the stateless children in the country. Any and every child hopefully would have,
01:44who's born in this country, I hope they receive treatment.
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