Attachments
Overview
Coordination and Leadership
Health service delivery in the Rohingya refugee camps remains under strain following the suspension of United States government funding. While no Health Posts (HPs) had been affected at the onset of the funding crisis, April saw a sharp shift, with nine HPs impacted, one fully closed and eight operating at reduced capacity. Further, two more Primary Health Centres (PHCs) were affected during the month, bringing the total number of disrupted PHCs to seven. If funding constraints persist, five more PHCs are at high risk of service interruption. The impact extends beyond the camps into host community areas, where governmentrun facilities have also been affected due to the withdrawal of partner-supported personnel. This has led to the closure of one Family Welfare Centre and reduced staffing at two Union Sub-Centres (Balukhali and Inani), two Upazila Health Complexes (Ukhiya and Teknaf), and four community clinics. Meanwhile, services in 17 static rehabilitation centres, including rehabilitation, nursing, sexual and reproductive health (SRH), and mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), have resumed after partially being suspended following the issuance of a US waiver (valid until August 2025) and the mobilisation of internal resources. The Health Sector continues to monitor the situation and is advocating for support to partners affected by the funding suspension to ensure the continuity of essential health services.
WHO-led Health Sector organised regular coordination meetings at Cox’s Bazar (1), Upazila (2), and Camp (33) levels. These meetings aligned with JRP Health Sector Strategic Objectives 1–3. Several Technical Working Group (TWG) meetings were held (MHPSS, RCCE, SRH, EPI, CHW). WHO continued to lead the health response by coordinating partner efforts and addressing field coordination gaps.
As part of the Strategic Assessment of Multi-Hazard Public Health Emergency Risks (STAR) Workshop, the Prevention and Response to Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PRSEA) Coordinator held an orientation session on 22 April in Cox’s Bazar to guide participants on integrating Prevention and Response to Sexual Misconduct (PRSM) across disaster and health emergency preparedness and response. The session highlighted the link between Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP) and PRSM, shared WHO’s approach to integrating PRSM in emergency contexts, and offered practical insights to strengthen collaboration and mainstream efforts. WHO and the Health Sector Information Management Team updated all regular information management products for April. The live interactive dashboards (4W, HeRAMS, training calendar, etc.) and other published products are available at https://rohingyaresponse.org/sectors/coxs-bazar/health/