Razali Ismail of Suhakam says Immigration Department detainees are entitled to the same level of medical care as others in the community. Pic from FMT News.
KUALA LUMPUR: The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) is concerned that the Immigration Department is facing limitations in budget and resources in its attempt to meet international standards for the healthcare of detainees.
Its chairman Razali Ismail said the department, which held a discussion with the commission last week, was coping with heavy constraints.
“Under international standards, detainees are entitled to the same level of medical care as individuals in the community at large but Suhakam notes that the Immigration Department is coping with severe budget and resource constraints,” he said in a statement.
He said the department had informed Suhakam of this issue during a discussion of major detention reforms, including improved medical care.
Razali was responding to a report by Reuters on March 30 that revealed more than one hundred foreigners had died in the past two years in Malaysia’s immigration detention centres based on documents by Suhakam. Read more
