The EAPIL founding conference: Aarhus, 14-16 May 2020
December 9th, 2019
Solar Power Brings 24-Hour Healthcare to Rohingya Refugees, Local Communities in Bangladesh
IOM, the UN Migration Agency, is harnessing solar energy to power its remote health posts in Cox’s Bazar’s giant Kutupalong and Balukali makeshift settlements, which are now home to an estimated 440,000 Rohingya refugees from Myanmar.
Violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine State has forced over 620,000 refugees to flee to Bangladesh since August 25th, bringing the total number of people seeking safety in the Cox’s Bazar settlements to over 833,000.
Many of the new arrivals and those already living in the settlements, as well as local communities, are desperately in need of healthcare.
Prior to the latest influx of refugees, IOM coordinated the work of agencies working in the health sector, in close collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Bangladeshi Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
As people have flooded into the settlements over the past three months, pressure on the health sector has steadily risen. Since August 25th, IOM has carried out over 75,000 health consultations for both Rohingya refugees and the local community in Teknaf and Ukhiya sub-districts (upazilas). In October alone, over 3,865 women received pregnancy-related care, including 3,030 antenatal care, 525 postnatal care and 310 deliveries.
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