Ali, an MSF community-based health promotion volunteer raises awareness on scabies in the clinic’s waiting area. 1 June 2023, Jamtoli Clinic, Ukhiya, Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. ©Olivier Malvoisin Nearly 40 percent of people in the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh have scabies according to the results of a prevalence survey conducted by the health sector in … Read more
MSF teams in the world’s largest refugee camp in Bangladesh are overwhelmed by the ongoing outbreak of scabies and are calling on other health actors to take their responsibility. Ajmot Ullah is a 26-year-old Rohingya refugee living in the world’s largest refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, since 2017. Rohingya refugees cannot legally work in … Read more
2 March 2023 – Cuts to the food rations received by around one million Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar district, Bangladesh, will increase their risk of malnutrition and have a serious impact on their health, says international medical organisation Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF). Citing lack of funding, yesterday, the World Food Programme (WFP) … Read more
Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) spoke with five Rohingya people living in refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, to understand how they see their lives five years since being forcibly displaced from Myanmar. Representing the ages five, 15, 25, 45 and 65, together they span three generations of Rohingya living in the camps. They … Read more
In 2012, when violence erupted between Rohingya and Rakhine communities, Zaw Rina’s home in Pauktaw town was burned down. She was forced to flee with her family to a camp in Ah Nauk Ywe on a difficult-to-reach island in the remote western part of the state. The impermanence of the fragile bamboo structure she lives … Read more
Large fire broke out in camps in Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh on 23rd March where around 900,000 refugees are currently living. According to UN estimates, around 15 people lost their lives during the massive blaze, 560 people were injured and up to 10,000 families (more than 45,000 people) have been displaced, but the final numbers are still unclear. MSF’s Balukhali clinic … Read more
There are currently around 860,000 Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. Most of them live in Cox’s Bazar district. The activities which Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) carries out for these refugees are centralised around the so-called ‘mega camp’, a large collection of 26 camps. In recent years, barbed and razor wire fencing was erected. The living conditions … Read more
“Spending our lives in the camps is difficult; the area is small and there is no space for the children to play,” says Abu Siddik. He lives in one of the camps in the Cox’s Bazar district of southeastern Bangladesh, where around 860,000 Rohingya refugees are crammed into just 26 square kilometres of land. “I left Myanmar because … Read more
One of the most densely populated countries in the world, Bangladesh also houses the world’s largest refugee camp. Across Cox’s Bazar, nearly one million Rohingya refugees live in overcrowded, unsanitary conditions. As COVID-19 spreads through Bangladesh, these are the five key challenges to overcome. 1. Highly vulnerable populations Across Bangladesh, many impoverished communities face a precarious existence in crowded environments, making … Read more
In a pink room decorated with white flowers at Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières’ (MSF) Kutupalong field hospital in the Cox’s Bazar district of southeastern Bangladesh, a woman lies curled around her sleeping child. Next to her, a young mother cradles a baby whilst her other daughter plays with a balloon. Rows of beds stretch … Read more