Aiming to improve access to healthcare services for host communities in Cox’s Bazar, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), a UN migration agency, reconstructed the Balukhali Health Sub-Centre, one of the government-run health facilities.
With the support of Qatar Charity, the IOM conducted the reconstruction of the health facility which now comprises a two-storied building housing a waiting and triage area, outpatient consultation rooms, a mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) corner, a nutrition corner, a laboratory, a medical warehouse and a pharmacy.
The facility also includes multiple-purpose rooms to facilitate the delivery of round-the-clock.
Since 2017, the IOM has actively been supporting essential health services at the Balukhali Health Sub-Centre, encompassing outpatient consultations, emergency care, referral support, communicable disease control, non-communicable disease management and MHPSS services.
Cox’s Bazar’s Civil Surgeon Dr Bipash Khisha, Qatar Charity’s Head of Operations and International Program Nawaf Abdullah Al Hammadi and IOM Bangladesh’s Deputy Chief of Mission Nihan Erdogan inaugurated the reconstructed facility on Thursday.
The IOM commenced its operation in the sub-centre following the first renovation that took place in 2017. This subsequent reconstruction will enable the government and health partners to provide comprehensive primary healthcare services to both Rohingya refugees and host communities.
As of June 2023, the IOM conducted 95,010 outpatient consultations in this centre and 33 per cent of the beneficiaries were from the host community and 67 per cent were from the Rohingya refugees.
IOM’s MHPSS service has also been mainstreamed with the healthcare service provision. 26,646 individuals received community-based support, 2,588 received focused non-specialized services and 370 received specialized mental health services in this facility.
The reconstruction of the Balukhali Health Sub-centre represents a significant step forward in addressing the healthcare needs of the affected population in Cox's Bazar.
The IOM remains committed to supporting the provision of essential services and contributing to the well-being of the community.
