A whole internally displaced Rohingya family suffering from Tuberculosis (TB) has been languishing without any medical treatments in Sittwe for more than a year.

At first, Aamir Hussein, 65, the head of the displaced family in ‘Thakkay Pyin (Sakki Fara) IDP (internally displaced people) camp, was infected by the TB, one of the widespread infectious diseases in the IDP  camps in Sittwe. Later, as he has been lack of proper medical treatment, the disease has spread to his daughter and two granddaughters; and the rest of his family members.

A year ago, around 35 Rohingya TB patients were admitted to ‘Thakkay Pyin’ clinic. The clinic took X-Rays and Saliva Tests on them upon the admissions.

However, the doctors in the clinic, whom are of Rakhine ethnic origin, citing the medical reports, said that only a few of them were infected by TB, while no signs of TB were found in the other patients including Aamir Hussein. But an ailing Aamir Hussein went to ‘Dar Paing’ clinic to see the doctor. The doctor (who is also a Rakhine) there, too, said that no TB disease was found.

Suffering from the severe disease, the unconvinced Aamir Hussein has given a few more rounds up and down to both clinics afterwards. Every time, he’s been told that no TB was found in him.

Now, after his whole family including his daughter and two of his granddaughters have been infected by the TB, he was told to have been found TB in him.

Unfortunately, there are no medical means available for them to cure the disease. It seems that the hopeless and miserable family, especially the old Aamir Hussein, has been awaiting a sad and slow demise.

His daughter and two granddaughters miserably suffering from TB are:

Husn Ara, 30 (daughter)

Tasmine Ara, 5 (granddaughter)

Yasmine Ara, 2 (granddaughter)

More than 140,000 Rohingyas have been internally displaced by the state-government-backed genocidal violence in June 2012 and afterwards. They have been isolated and ghettoed in the squalid concentration camps known as IDP camps in the outskirts of Sittwe and Pauktaw Townships.

And after the expulsion of the foreign medicos and humanitarian workers by the state-government-backed rioting Rakhine mob in March 2014, no international humanitarian agencies and medical workers have got full access to these ill-fortunate displaced Rohingyas.