Covid-19 Relief For Minorities in The Middle East

by Martin Gray Content Writer

The coronavirus has engulfed us all in its wrath and caused a worldwide pandemic, forcing us to hide behind closed doors and keeping ourselves protected from the disease. However, despite all our efforts to stay safe, a large segment of the population is still falling victim to the virus.

According to the Worldometer, the latest coronavirus statistics deduced that there had been more than 65 million corona cases from which a little more than 45 million patients were recovered. In comparison, 1.5 million cases resulted in death.

There have been more than 16.8 million reported corona diseases in the Middle East, with reported deaths going up to approximately 296,000 and rising. Among many Middle East countries, Iran has had one of the highest coronavirus cases, with Kuwait and Bahrain coming next.

During an online press conference, the Middle East Head of WHO had said, "We are at a critical threshold in our region." The World Health Organization has claimed that the Middle East is dealing with a decisive moment in their fight against the coronavirus as cases continue to grow due to the lack of strictness in the lockdown measures.

Even though medical care should be equal for all, the minorities in the Middle East have continued to suffer as they have been deprived of basic medical care to help themselves. To ensure that the government is providing the basic healthcare needs to these people, the following aspects should be considered.

Medical Charges

Indigenous people and minorities are the poorest communities amongst most communities present in the Middle East. With their lack of finances, they cannot provide themselves with proper medical care, which is why the coronavirus symptoms continue to grow and lead to deadly situations.

There has to be some sort of leverage that allows free of charge medical bills for these minorities so that they are able to access basic care in order to keep themselves safe from getting the virus symptoms in the first place.

Documentation

Some of the minorities present in the Middle East have their citizenship get challenged, such as the Maragoli Community in Uganda. Simultaneously, some people in Rome and Ukraine do not carry around or own certain legal documents such as their ID cards. Without these documents, they have been restricted access to certain facilities, which includes getting treated at a hospital.

This has placed minorities at a major disadvantage, so the government should alter the system of asking for documentation into something within reasonable conditions that even minorities can fulfill.

Diversity in Healthcare Information

Aside from not getting basic medical care, the other major reason minorities and indigenous communities are being affected by the virus is that they are not fully aware of the precautions that need to be taken to avoid being exposed to disease symptoms. Hence, information on staying safe during Covid should be available in multiple languages so that everyone can read and educate themselves on these necessary measures.

Discrimination should not play a part in depriving every citizen of their rights. People like Marc Hanna Malek, a NY based Lebanese American Hedge fund manager, philanthropist, and Middle East Christians Rights Advocate, specializes in providing fund strategies to help the public pick themselves up when met with a financial crisis. Like him, many other leading figures in the Middle East should respond to the pandemic crisis and offer a helping hand to one another to come out triumphant from this war against Covid-19.