Bangladesh: the Rohingya refugee camp has a brand-new facility to improve healthcare
Cox’s Bazar – After much time of projecting and funds, the Rohingya refugee camp obtained a new 33-room in-patient hospital instead of the previous bamboo “cottage” as medical post
The hospital in Madhurchara, Ukhiya, is the first to offer in-patient services to refugees and members of the host community living in a particularly densely populated part of the camp. There are 20 beds for patients admitted and staying overnight.
The facility will also provide maternity services to improve access to sexual health services; a specialised paediatric care unit for children up to the age of 12; a specialized unit for the care of new-borns; and complex laboratory services.
The hospital will ease pressure on the Cox’s Bazar district hospital, which was designed to accommodate 250 in-patients, but often must host up to twice that number, assures Dr. Andrew Mbala, IOM Health Emergency Coordinator in Cox’s Bazar.
Another new health primary health care facility was also opened by IOM in the camp this week, in close collaboration with the Bangladesh health authorities, who will eventually take over its management and provision of services. The USD 120,000 clinic, which will also provide mental health and psychosocial support, will serve people living in one of the areas of the camp most prone to landslides and flooding.
Together the facilities will serve catchment areas totalling around 73,000 people from the refugee and local communities. Almost a million Rohingya refugees now live in camps, often in very poor conditions.
“In-patient services and comprehensive primary health care are currently a big gap in the refugee camp and these facilities will allow us to provide comprehensive care,” said Dr. Mbala.