Burmese PLWHIV in Malaysia

People Living With HIV Need Support And Friends
By Melati Mohd Ariff
November 25, 2009 15:28 PM

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 25 (Bernama) -- Life has not been easy for Ma Hninn Si (not her real name). About two years ago she fled her country with her two younger sisters. They took boat rides twice to reach the Myanmar-Thai border before paying a hefty sum for a safe passage to the Thai-Malaysia border and then to Kuala Lumpur.

The 25-year old petite lady's plight, however, did not end there. Two months after settling down in the city in October 2007, she started having fever, continuous cough and began to lose weight.

She thought it might be malaria, considering the number of days she had to hide in the jungles before taken to the Thai-Malaysia border. She also thought she might be having tuberculosis but never the diagnosis the doctor at a private clinic gave her - infected by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)!

Hninn Si (which in the Myanmarese language means rose flower) was not only in great shock but lost all hopes of living any longer.

"I thought my life was over. There was no future for me. I thought of my sisters as they were still very young. They became refugees because of me.

"Without our parents or close relatives, how could they survive in a foreign country?" lamented Hninn Si.

She shared her difficult times with the participants of a roundtable discussion on HIV and AIDS organised recently by the United Nations Theme Group on HIV.

Hninn Si told Bernama later that she suspected contracting the virus through blood transfusion when she underwent an operation for ulcer in her intestines in 2001.

TOO MUCH FEAR

Stigma and discrimination forced Hninn Si to remain silent on the virus that has been wrecking her small body.

Her friends became suspicious of her condition and began to suspect she had HIV.

"They asked many questions but I did not want to answer. My little sister stopped going to church because she wanted to avoid the questions.

"I was physically and mentally worn out. I was scared to meet people. I told myself I was nothing but I also felt that other people were treating me like I was nothing," she sighed.

Hninn Si became more depressed as the days went by but she was fortunate that she had her two younger sisters looking after her as she fell sick frequently.

"It broke my heart to see my sister working so hard. I should be the one supporting them, but I could not.

"I also needed better food because of my health but I could not afford it. I had no choice but to eat whatever is available," she added.

Hninn Si said one of her sisters worked tirelessly, cleaning restaurants and houses to help put food on the table and pay for the rented room in a flat they shared with many others.

"When I went to check my CD4 count, I was charged double. Every time I visit the government hospital, I have to pay RM30 and that was how much my sister earns a day," she said.

FINALLY TREATED

According to Hninn Si, she has never heard of any treatment for HIV. She only thought that once a person had the virus, he or she succumbs to the dreadful disease in a matter of few years.

But her fate changed in early 2008 when a counsellor from Malaysian Care paid her a visit.

"Through his counselling, I knew about HIV treatment for the first time and he encouraged me so much and gave me the much needed hope for the future," she said.

Malaysian Care, a Christian non-governmental organization founded in the late 1970's, offers diversified services such as residential care and community services and is strongly committed to community development.

According to Hninn Si, she was later admitted to Sg Buloh Hospital and received HAART (Highly Active Antiretroviral Theraphy) treatment.

"Sg Buloh hospital is an excellent hospital. Even though I am a refugee, all the staff at the hospital treated me very well. They did all the best for me," she explained.

However, she added, she had terrible side effects for six months that caused her skin to become very dark besides ending up with a swollen face and lips.

"My body was full of marks and rashes. Friends and the people around dare not come close and they did not even want to shake hands with me.

"I was teaching English to refugee students before this and I was very sad when they kept away after getting to know I was HIV positive. I was afraid to even leave the house to go to church," said Hninn Si.

A HIV positive person who suffers such side effects, she said, would have a low self-esteem and that is when friends are needed most.

"I did not receive such support," she said.

CHANGE IN LIFE

Hninn Si said she is much better now not only physically but also mentally and emotionally. She told Bernama she only needs to go to the Sg Buloh Hospital once in four months for follow-up treatment.

In many ways, she considered herself lucky as her ability to converse well in English has enabled her to go to Malaysian clinics unlike most refugees.

She has also regained her self-confidence when she was given a chance by a church to conduct tuition classes for refugee children.

Hninn Si who is an English graduate thought elementary English to a group of refugee children aged from 13 to 18 years old.

"I was finally able to earn an income. It helped to lift my spirits, gave me confidence and restored my dignity," she added.

Hninn Si said she has stopped giving tuition for the past five months as she wanted to focus on her new found job as a peer counselor for a project mooted by UNHCR and Malaysian Care.

The project, she said is known as "Project Long Life" based at the Sg Buloh Hospital.

"As peer counselor, I am not only able to help myself but help others too. But many other refugees who are HIV positive are not so lucky," said Hninn Si.

She told Bernama that she had helped to counsel about 50 refugee HIV patients and admitted that the job has been challenging where she also has to conduct home visits.

"Now if someone asks me what am I doing, I can answer with pride that I have a job even though I am HIV positive. I can share this confidence with others.

"I can also get back into the society. Before, people saw me as a dangerous person but now I understand I am not a harmful person. All HIV positive persons should be given the encouragement and opportunity to work.

"Especially so for HIV positive refugees because they need to be able to earn an income to take better care of their health," said Hninn Si.

OTHER CONCERN

Hninn Si also talked about the plight of some HIV positive refugees mainly from Myanmar who suffered from mental problems.

The condition, she said was not only because they were HIV positive but also due to stress and depression resulting from stigma and discrimination including from their own community.

She pointed out there had been cases where the refugees lost their jobs once their boss knew they had HIV.

"They have problems of getting a new job, so how are they going to survive?

"People living with HIV, we all hunger for love, friends and help. Will you be our friend? Your smile is our strength. Your encouragement is our hope.

"Please extend your hands to hold our hands. We are also human beings, please accept us as what we are," she said.

-- BERNAMA