UMR works with its partner IMANA to provide ambulatory clinics to Rohingya refugees. Rohingya refugees are seeking safety in Cox’s Bazar. Currently the largest refugee camp in the world.
We are one of the few medical teams that the Bangladeshi government has given permission. This means that we can treat young children. Otherwise, they would get easily preventable diseases like the flu. These diseases can kill people in camps.
We coordinate with Bangladeshi NGOs for medical staff and logistics support. They give us access to the internal parts of the camp. This project is being run with the help of meetings of the UN’s health cluster and volunteer doctors hired through IMANA.
The Sufferings of Rohingyas
This project, Ambulatory Clinics for Rohingyas, has been running since 2017. It has served hundreds of thousands of Rohingya. Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh is home to more than 800,000 Rohingya refugees. They were forced to flee their home due to a violent government crackdown in Myanmar in 2017.
This area is more densely populated than some of the largest cities in the world. The majority of the refugees living there lack access to healthcare, proper sanitation, and decent living conditions. With the onset of COVID-19, experts are predicting that:
“This pandemic could set Bangladesh back by decades.”
Families live with up to 10 people in one room in the sweltering heat. It is impossible to maintain social distancing. With numbers upward of 19,000 confirmed cases of the virus in Bangladesh, it is only a matter of time before it spreads throughout the entire camp.
Overcrowding is a problem in itself. But many refugees who fled persecution in Myanmar have also health problems. On top of that, many haven’t gotten the standard vaccinations. It puts them at an even higher risk of contracting COVID-19.
We have introduced Ambulatory Clinics to provide healthcare for the Rohingyas residing in Bangladesh. In order to reduce their misery and keep them safe from diseases like Covid-19. It is a significant project of ours.
