International Journal of Human and Health Sciences. Supplementary Issue: 2019
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.31344/ijhhs.v0i0.174

 

S56 
 

Scarred Heart: A Case Series 
 
Huzairi S1, Nada S.Z2 
 
1Universiti Tek nologi MARA, Medical Faculty, UiTM Sungai Buloh, Selangor, Malaysia; 2Pathology 
Department, Penang General Hospital, Ministry of Health, Malaysia 2 

 
ABSTRACT  

 

Introduction: As of February 2018, around 900,000 Rohingyans have fled to Bangladesh to 

seek refuge – 80% of which were women and children.1 From satellite analyses, at least 288 
villages were destroyed by fire in northern Rakhine since August 2017.2 As a tertiary medical 
facility catering to these refugees, the Malaysian Field Hospital (MFH) has attended to a myriad 

of diseases both physical and mental. The most challenging yet are burn injuries with 
deformities. 

 
Case 1: As a result of being torched alive, a Rohingyan woman was left with facial burns that 
caused visual and eating difficulties. Her scars had disfigured her so badly that her own children 

were terrified to look her in the face. Nonetheless, she persevered through her daily livin g. 
 

Case 2: A young boy who lost his father in a military attack sustained burn injuries to his left 
hand while escaping his burning house. As a result, he sustained a fixed deformity and total 
loss of function to the hand. Surgical intervention is due, however functional recovery is slim. 

 
Case 3: A young girl who sustained permanent contractures to her left foot came for treatment 

with MFH after many years of living with the disability. Fortunately for her, MFH was able to 
offer surgical intervention so she was able to regain function of her left foot. 
 

Discussion & Conclusion: While many are aware of the world’s fastest-growing humanitar ia n 
crisis, its origin, details and aftermath are scantily exposed. Burmese journalists have been 

pressured and their press freedom undermined by bureaucratic threats, budget constraints and 
difficult visa approvals for on-site reporting in Bangladesh.3 Volunteers should therefore share 
their experiences to raise awareness on the dire situation faced by refugees. However, w hile 

social media serves as a great platform to spread awareness, one has to be mindful of the 
refugee’s privacy and consent should be sought especially when photos and identities are 

shared. 
 
Keywords: Rohingya, refugee, burn injury