Health Services Delivered through 210 facilities in Cox’s Bazar

210 health facilities have been mapped in Cox’s Bazar refugee camps, in an effort to understand distribution of health services.

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare with support from WHO, IOM, UNFPA, UNHCR and UNICEF deployed several teams to map the facilities providing health services in Rohingya settlements. Data collection tools installed on mobile phones were used to gather data regarding the type of facility, services provided, contact details and location of the facilities. The mapping predominantly includes primary health centres and health posts, although hospitals were also mapped for completeness and to assist in referrals planning.

 Results show that the distribution of health services is far from equitable due to the limited land availability, poor road access and high densities of populations in some areas. Moreover, the services provided are not standardized and the range of health care services provided at facilities varies considerably. This information has helped identify gaps and reassigned health care facilities to under-served areas in refugee settlements. It has also informed the development of a registry of health services by the health sector, to aid referrals within the camps.

This mapping exercise also demonstrated the commitment of national and international agencies to address the health issues of the Rohingya population.

Gathering and analyzing health data is an essential aspect of WHO’s mandate to support the Government of Bangladesh and health partner organizations, to enhance efficiency of the current humanitarian response.