Since 2015, MSF is providing primary healthcare, facilitating referrals for secondary and tertiary healthcare and mental health support to Rohingya and other refugee communities in Malaysia. Many have fled extreme violence in their home countries, particularly the Rohingya in Myanmar who have been subjected to recurrent campaigns of targeted violence and persecution by the Myanmar military. While risking dangerous journeys to reach Malaysia, refugees find little protection, as the country is not a signatory of the 1951 Refugee Convention and refugees are effectively criminalised by domestic law.

Their lack of legal status in Malaysia means they are constantly at risk of arrest and detention, and cannot access proper education and legal jobs. As a result, many end up in the Malaysian black market or the informal sector carrying out “3D” work, which stands for “dirty, dangerous and difficult” jobs. This is a term commonly used to refer to work locals do not want to do so migrant workers do them.

Obtaining refugee status through UNHCR gives the refugee community a limited form of protection. However, they still do not have access to affordable healthcare, with public healthcare facilities charging them the foreigner's rate, at up to 100 per cent of what locals pay. Refugees and asylum-seekers who have yet to obtain their UNHCR document are often threatened to be reported to the immigration authorities and risk facing detention when visiting public healthcare facilities. This is due to the Ministry of Health's Health Circular 10/2001, which obliges healthcare providers to report any undocumented migrant to the Immigration Department.

For this reason, MSF’s response in Malaysia also includes a strong advocacy component calling for a repeal of Ministry of Health Circular 10/2001.