CARE opens 40-bed isolation centre for Rohingya refugees as COVID cases surge in Bangladesh

The aid organisation CARE has opened a 40-bed COVID-19 isolation centre as cases surge in the world’s largest refugee camp, in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. The camp houses Rohingya refugees who fled violence in neighbouring Myanmar.

The centre has doctors, ambulances, oxygen, and COVID-19 sample collection services available around-the-clock. CARE will monitor suspected and mild COVID-19 cases in the isolation centre, while moderate and severe cases will be referred to advanced medical facilities for treatment.

The centre runs on solar power and will provide three meals a day to all patients. There are seperate dormitories and bathrooms for male and female patients, out of sensitivity to people’s cultural and religious needs.

At the opening of the centre, Bangladesh’s Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner, Shah Rezwan Hayat, thanked CARE for establishing the centre within such a short time, and commended the gender-sensitive features.

Health volunteer Yeasmin, a Rohingya woman living in the camp, said: “The isolation centre will be good for us. In the camps, many people live together in small shelters. If any family member is infected by coronavirus, isolating is not possible. The isolation centre will help people stay separately from their family.”

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