Total of people with dwarfism is increasing each year.

(Source: Pertubuhan Kebajikan Orang Kerdil Malaysia)

Also known as little people, their presence continuously rising for the past few years including from 2020 to 2022 and expected to increase in the year of 2023.

On the other hand, dwarfs are officially listed as Orang Kurang Upaya (OKU) in Malaysia under the category of physical disability and eligible to receive government assistance and aids.

However, living in part of this small group could be a challenge or otherwise in this era, especially concerning their overall health and the medical treatments needed for them.

According to the Paediatrician Kaiser Permanente Medical Care (KPMC) Puchong, Dr Norazwan Shahbuoin, this rare genetic condition is ascertained by few medical tests since birth. 

Paediatrician Kajang Plaza Medical Centre (KPMC), Dr Norazwan.

“Ultrasound scans should be tested throughout pregnancy since it could be challenging to detect the earliest signs of dwarfism in a baby while they are still in the womb.

“In certain cases, parents with dwarf children need to observe the bone growth as it may cause discomfort and other health issues. 

This rare genetic condition is a type of stature that causes the bones unable to grow to an average length, thus, they are often short or crooked. 

Due to this, it could be an obstacle for these people to be active in sports or walking for a longer period compared to normal people. 

Meanwhile, a research done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), United States, found that adults with disabilities experiencing mental distress are five times higher than those without disabilities. 

Dr Noraazwan added that their mental health is equally important as their physical health because they are prone to depression and other mental issues. 

“It is compulsory to care for their mental health, especially some of them reported to suffer from insecurity, bullies and more that would hurt as much. 

As reported by President of Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Orang Kerdil Malaysia, Jasmie Shafie, many people with dwarfism were provided with financial aid for their medical treatments. 

President of Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Orang Kerdil Malaysia, Jasmie Shafie.

“Even one of my children is categorized as a dwarf that previously sought medical treatment due to the failing body organ that requires immediate surgery and costs around RM6000. 

“Luckily, the hospital and treatment costs are mostly borne by the government and we only covered around RM400 for my child.” 

Besides that, parents are advised to register their children who have dwarfism with this organization, which was established specifically to help dwarfs in Malaysia.

Parents with dwarf children are often confused and clueless dealing with this condition, especially first time parents that seek guidance.

Hence support groups can be helpful for parents to receive knowledge or opinions from people in similar cases to them. 

According to Jasmie, under the Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Orang Kerdil Malaysia, they always conduct activities like charity, sports and upcoming Ramadan events as well as assistance to dwarfs. 

Dina Syukrah Zakaria, a mother to her son, Aniq Faizal, a child with dwarfism said that there is no support group in Malaysia for parents with little people which she then joined groups from other countries on Facebook.

Dina Syukrah is the mother of a child with dwarfism.

Today, Dina has created a support group named “The parents of little people Malaysia” to gather parents all over Malaysia with a similar situation as her. 

She also shared her beautiful journey in raising Aniq that can be challenging, especially worrying of her son’s comfortability when adapting with his surroundings. 

“Back then, Aniq often cried when he got home from school and did not want to go to school again due to being bullied by his schoolmates.

“It does not end there when this one incident of a parent pointed out Aniq’s head to his children and continuously mentioned it was “big” which was uncomfortable for us as parents” said Dina.

This signifies that there is still a lack of awareness regarding dwarfs in terms of how society should or should not socialize with them. 

Regardless of the challenges, Dina and her husband are still actively sharing awareness on their social media pages including her Tiktok account, @dinasyukrahofficial. 

Her videos reached up to millions of views and received support along with awareness from TikTok users in other countries such as Brunei and Indonesia. 

Therefore, this rare condition can still be difficult to manage in terms of health and socialization, especially considering the lack of knowledge about how to interact with these little people.

On the flip side, the government has provided initiatives and aids according to their needs and care. 

Anda suka artikel ini? Kongsi sekarang!