WB to provide $50m grant to address health needs of Rohingyas

The government on Thursday signed a $50 million grant financing agreement with the World Bank (WB) to strengthen the existing health care services for responding to the health, nutrition and family planning needs of the Rohingya population in Cox’s Bazar.

This additional financing to the existing Health Sector Support Project will help provide essential health and nutrition services to the Rohingya people, which will include maternal, neonatal, infant, child, and adolescent health, nutrition and psychosocial services, as well as reproductive health care, said a press release.

Economic Relations Division (ERD) Senior Secretary Kazi Shofiqul Azam and World Bank Country Director for Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan Qimiao Fan signed the agreement on behalf their respective sides at ERD in the city, reports BSS.

Speaking on the occasion, Kazi Shofiqul Azam said Bangladesh has provided shelter to the Rohingya population who fled from violence in Myanmar and the majority of them are women and children.

“The government of Bangladesh is addressing the needs of the displaced population together with the host community. We welcome the support from the World Bank,” he added.

Qimiao Fan said, “Nearly one million Rohingyas live in congested camps, including the Kutupalong camp, the world’s largest refugee camp. They face risks of disease outbreaks and suffer from high rates of child malnutrition. Their health care needs are enormous.”

He said, “This grant financing will help the government plan and manage health, nutrition and population services for the Rohingya people while the existing project will continue to provide healthcare to the local population.”

This is the first in a series of projects financed by the World Bank to support Bangladesh in dealing with the Rohingya influx. The financing will strengthen health services provided through the health centres within the camps, in addition to the Cox’s Bazar District Hospital, Upazilla health complexes and other selected government facilities in Ukhia and Teknaf.

This will also help the Health and Family Welfare Ministry to scale up and strengthen the existing facilities within and adjacent to the camps. Through the Women Friendly Centres within the camps, the financing will support services for the victims of gender-based violence.

Of the $50 million financing, the World Bank will provide $41.67 million as a grant through the IDA18 Regional Sub-window for Refugees and Host Communities with an additional $8.33 million as a grant from the government of Canada.