Md Joynal Abedin Khan :
Several lakh Rohingyas living in Cox’s Bazar’s Ukhiya and Teknaf upazilas are scrambling for relief items mainly food, clothes, safe water, and medicine to sustain lives.
The new comers too wait eagerly in the camps for aid trucks’ arrival carrying clothes, food and medicines, witness said.
But the sick, the elderly people and the children almost remain out of relief facilities, they said.
Specially about 26,000 pregnant mothers, 2,00,000 children out of estimated more than 4,00,000 migrated people are at high risk due to lack of proper take care, food, water and medicines, reports media. They almost pass miserable days as they have been deprived of medical treatment and nutritious food.
Cox’s Bazar Civil Surgeon Sheikh Abdus Salam said, “The capacity of hospitals has been increased to accommodate about 25,000 to 26,000 Rohingya women. The number of doctors, nurses and midwives is more than that of any other time.
Salam said: “130,000 children were administered measles vaccine and 43,000 children received oral polio vaccines between September 16 and 18.”
Besides, more than 200,000 Rohingya children are at incredible risk and they need urgent support, said Jean Lieby, Chief of Child Protection of Unicef Bangladesh.
This is a growing humanitarian crisis and children are in the heart of this crisis. Sixty percent of all refugees are children, according to preliminary data, he said.
He has also expressed deep sorrow for the separated children. “We have identified 1,128 children who are isolated. This is not the end. We expect more in the coming days”, he added. At least 13 percent of the Rohingya women are either pregnant or lactating mothers who need life-saving maternal and newborn health care services, said UN Population Fund (UNFPA) .
According to a report published by Inter-Sector Co-ordination Group (ISCG), 4,99,956 Rohingyas coming from Myanmar suffer from malnutrition. Among them, 154,000 are children below five. About 91,556 are adolescent girls and women, and 54,633 are pregnant women and lactating mothers. The story is the same for other refugees, who are living in the makeshift camps on the steps of the hills in Balukhali, struggling for whatever help they can find, he said.
