Foreign aid for Rohingya programmes drops: Roundtable

Foreign assistance for the Rohingya community taking shelter in Cox's Bazar has dwindled and Bangladesh is struggling to sustain its programmes for them as the Rohingya crisis has dragged on and the attention of the international community shifted elsewhere.

Mohammed Mizanur Rahman, Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC) disclosed the information at a roundtable discussion held at a hotel in the capital today (20 October).

Speaking as the chief guest at a discussion titled "Integrated Approach to Eye Care Services in Humanitarian Settings: Lessons and Best Practices," organised by Orbis International and The Financial Express, he said looking after the Rohingya community is not the responsibility of Bangladesh alone.

"We've shouldered the responsibility of the international community, including the United Nations. We're working on behalf of them. Now they are forgetting us," Orbis International quoted him as saying.

Mizanur said health facilities in Rohingya camps have decreased from 160 to 120 now and components in the facilities also cut significantly due to fund shortage.

He said the international agencies now working for the Rohingya community are also experiencing fund constraints.

Professor Dr AHM Enayet Hussain, President of the Ophthalmological Society of Bangladesh (OSB) and Country Chair of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) Bangladesh Chapter, while chairing the event said eye care is no more a health issue, it is now a development issue.

He said with better eye care, one can perform better for society.

Prof Enayet highlighted the lack of coordination among different agencies for prioritizing eye care in the government health facilities.

Prof Khair Ahmed Choudhury, Director of the National Institute of Ophthalmology and Hospital (NIO&H), disclosed at the discussion that Bangladesh is bringing cornea from Nepal for the victims of the July movement.

He said the corneas for two patients were supposed to reach Dhaka by Sunday (October 20) afternoon on a Biman Bangladesh flight.

Khair Ahmed said many people suffered eye issues due to gunshots and other injuries during the movement.

Additional Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner Md Shamsud Douza urged actions for health literacy, including eye care, so that people understand their health problems and seek treatment.

He stressed the need of cornea donation to restore eyesight of many and said awareness can encourage people to donate corneas.

Representatives from Orbis's partners in Rohingya response program, local and international non-government organizations working for the Rohingya community and relevant government bodies participated in the event.

The participants discussed the challenges and opportunities in eye health and the ways to overcome the challenges and tap the opportunities, made different suggestions that may help make Rohingya-related programs integrated and comprehensive.

The Fred Hollows Foundation Country Manager Musabbir Alam, Cox's Bazar Baitush Sharaf Hospital (CBBSH) Manager Shahid Uddin Mahmood, Alliance for Cooperation and Legal Aid Bangladesh (ACLAB) official Moniruzzman, journalists Nurul Islam Hasib and Sarwar Azam Manik, among others, also spoke at the roundtable.