Japan, UNHCR sign agreement to improve health care for Rohingya and host communities in Cox’s Bazar
The $4.4m three-year-project will support the construction of new in-patient facilities in Ukhiya Specialised Hospital to facilitate access to specialised care
The Government of Japan and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) signed an agreement to provide approximately $4.4 million to support the improvement of healthcare for the Rohingyas and Bangladeshi host communities and in Cox's Bazar through a three-year-project.
The exchange of notes was signed by UNHCR Bangladesh Representative Johannes Van Der Klaauw and the Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh ITO Naoki, at the UNHCR country office in Dhaka, said a press release.
The three-year-project will support the construction of new in-patient facilities in Ukhiya Specialised Hospital to facilitate access to specialised care, same-day surgeries, and other services scarcely available in the district, including assistance to mental health and psychosocial support.
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It will also support the renovation and maintenance of 39 healthcare and nutrition facilities in the Rohingya refugee camps and allow for the provision of critical medical supplies, equipment, and medicines to both refugees and Bangladeshis, the press release added.
The project will be implemented in close collaboration and under the guidance and leadership of the Bangladesh Government, including the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief (MoDMR).
"The significant contribution from the Government of Japan will allow UNHCR to continue providing vital access to healthcare for some 265,000 refugee and host community members, following what has been a uniquely challenging 18 months, as Covid-19 increased health needs for both refugees and Bangladeshis" said Johannes Van Der Klaauw.
"It is our great pleasure to provide assistance to this project, and we strongly hope it will improve the healthcare and medical situations of both refugees and host communities. During my last visit to the camps in Cox's Bazar back in October, I was able to see the dedicated work of UNHCR and the other agencies amid the difficult situations," said ITO Naoki.
"Japan will continue to work towards early repatriation to Myanmar while contributing to the better living conditions of refugees and host communities in collaboration with the international organisations and NGOs, as finding durable solutions to this crisis will be conducive to our pursuit of a Free and Open Indo- Pacific," he further added.
