Bangladesh: Over 227,000 patients received life-saving medical assistance thanks to the Kuwait Red Crescent Society’s support
Thanks to this agreement, the ICRC, along with its Bangladesh Red Crescent Society partners, contributed to the growth of the Emergency Department, while increasing the skillset of its medical professionals. "Earlier, this Emergency Department was completely underutilized and under-resourced. Eventually, we expanded the capacity of our emergency services to include patients suffering from heart conditions, children, pregnant women, those with breathing difficulties, and other emergency situations," says Dr. Md. Ashikur Rahman, the Residential Doctor of Sadar Hospital.
In the entire project cycle between 2019 and 2022, 377,000 patients received free of cost consultations from the Emergency Department of Sadar Hospital in partnership with the Bangladesh authorities. "We did not have modern medical equipment or resources in the past. With the KRCS/ICRC support, the emergency department is equipped now, providing emergency care to 350 to 450 patients a day," says Dr. Md. Mominul Rahman, Hospital Superintendent of Sadar Hospital. He also added that "it has become a national model, providing comprehensive medical care under one roof for both Bangladeshi and displaced people".
Cox's Bazar District Sadar Hospital is a referral hospital for eight Upazila Health Complexes/ Sub-District Hospitals that cover 142 Public health centers in the camps hosting Displaced People from Rakhine within the catchment area. The support to its Emergency Department brought a substantial transformation in the delivery of healthcare: "I cannot believe our country has an emergency department that meets international standards. After receiving treatment, I am pleased with the physicians' and nurses' behaviors and services," says 52-year-old patient Mohammad Ali Asgar, who came to take treatment for breathing problems.
On 26 January 2022, the ICRC Regional Delegation in Kuwait signed a grant agreement with KRCS for 1 million USD to support humanitarian assistance in Bangladesh with the support of the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development to help improve the situation of the Displaced People from Rakhine in Bangladesh. Contributions were used towards ongoing ICRC operations in areas of health, water, habitat, and economic security to improve everyday living conditions for displaced communities in the Cox's Bazar area.
This grant agreement symbolizes the ICRC's and KRCS's humanitarian efforts in dynamically catering to the ever-changing needs of individuals and communities ravaged by violence and instability. It signifies our mutual decision to amplify our enduring strategic alliance in humanitarian efforts, to echo the cries of the vulnerable in Bangladesh more potently. We are uniting, not just to respond, but to make a difference," states Mamadou Sow, ICRC Regional Head of Delegation for the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries.
Thanks to the changes brought by the support project for the Sadar Hospital in Cox's Bazar, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has heralded the Emergency Department there as a model department to be replicated across the country and awarded the hospital with the title of the second-best district hospital in Bangladesh.
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