Addressing Gaps in Refugee Access to Health

The project aims to improve the health status of the Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar to reduce vulnerabilities in the refugee camps and increase the utilization of comprehensive healthcare services by targeted refugees. Health services in the Rohingya refugee camps are inadequate in addressing the health-related needs of the over 900 000 refugees. Only 17% of the 200 health facilities in the camps have 24/7 access and only three health facilities have surgical facilities. Women and adolescent girls’ access to sexual and reproductive health services have also been affected by the COVID-19 lockdowns and reallocation of health care resources. These sexual and reproductive health gaps can result in avoidable maternal and infant mortality and long-term gynaecological health problems. There is a low level of understanding and awareness of sexual and reproductive health exacerbated by stigmatisation around family planning contraception and menstrual hygiene management. This cultural issue limits women and girls’ access to items and information that would support their health and hygiene. This project also addresses men’s control on women’s mobility and health issues particularly decisions about childbearing pregnancy-related health care abortion family planning issues and women requiring men’s permission to visit health centres. Access to these is even more difficult for women and adolescent girls with disabilities and in women-headed households. Project activities include: (1) supporting and capacity strengthening of up to 13 BRAC health care facilities for delivering comprehensive environment-friendly primary healthcare services particularly to women and girls with special focus on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) disabilities mental health and gender-based violence (GBV) as well as offering COVID-19 screening capacity; (2) training up to 100 health service providers on modern methods of family planning and adolescent reproductive health and

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) increased access to health and nutrition services especially on SRHR disabilities mental health and GBV among Rohingya refugees particularly marginalized women and girls in environmentally sustainable health facilities in the Cox’s Bazar refugee camps; and (2) increased gender equality and decision-making among women and girls to improve health seeking behavior and practices in the Rohingya community in Cox’s Bazar camps .