20,000 pregnant women face health risk at Rohingya camps

Pregnant Rohingya women are at high risk of developing health problems at refugee camps due to malnutrition, lack of awareness and psychological trauma. Records show that around 20,000 pregnant women are among more than 422,000 Rohingya refugees who escaped persecution and violence in Myanmar in the last one month. Several of these women told the Dhaka Tribune that they had no idea about nutritional requirements and essential health and safety measures that should be taken during pregnancy. Many are traumatised, and have starved for days while fleeing from Myanmar to escape the brutal military campaign against the mostly Rohingya Muslim minority in northern Rakhine state. As a result, the pregnant Rohingya women are suffering miscarriages and other health complications. Three-month pregnant Sanjida Begum, 20, is expecting her third child. Speaking to the Dhaka Tribune at the Shah Parir Dwip, she said, she was feeling pain in her womb after a grueling five-day journey to Bangladesh through hills and river. “I am bleeding a little and there is pain in my womb,” Sanjida said. Her husband Mohammad Edris had been searching for a doctor, but without success. Thousands of pregnant Rohingya women like Sanjida are at high risk of health complications at the refugee camps. Cox’s Bazar Civil Surgeon Abdus Salam told the Dhaka Tribune: “We have located 18,000-20,000 pregnant women in Rohingya camps. But there could be more as many are staying outside camps, and more people keep coming here.” “Almost everyone is suffering from malnutrition. Without proper antenatal care and nutrition, pregnant women could face serious health risks,” he added. With limited support, health camps are also proving antenatal and postnatal care to the pregnant women at the Rohingya camps. Myanmar's Demographic and Health Survey 2015-16 showed that only 29.7% women in Rakhine, one of the poorest areas, received antenatal care from a skilled provider while 54.2% women had a postnatal checkup in the first two days after birth. The situation is particularly worse in Muslim-majority Northern Rakhine, where most of the Rohingya live. For decades, the Rohingya have faced health-related discrimination in Buddhist-majority Myanmar which denies them citizenship.

Health and Nutrition

Khadiza Begum, 26, was found waiting in a queue to receive health care in Balukhali refugee camp. Pregnant women are given priority in health check-up at these camps. She was very tired and pale. She had managed to escape Myanmar's military crackdown with her husband and all of her children. “We do not have a place to live and have to survive on scraps of food my husband collects as aid every day, but I am happy,” she said. When asked about her diet, Khadiza said, she had biscuits and puffed rice. The dry food simply cannot meet the daily nutritional requirement of a pregnant woman. Dr Tareq Hasan, in-charge of a health camp of Gonoshasthaya Kendra at Balukhali, told the Dhaka Tribune: “Most of the pregnant women are physically weak. Most of them have walked a long way and did not eat properly for more than seven days. I have found that many patients suffered miscarriages.”

Psychosocial health

Speaking about the psychosocial health conditions, Senior Manager (communication and advocacy) of Action Contre La Faim (ACF) Bangladesh, Suchismita Roy said, “Most of the Rohingya refugees are traumatised. We are providing them counseling to overcome trauma.” However, the children are more vulnerable to the effects of psychological trauma. Technical Officer of Family Planning at UNFPA Bangladesh, Syed Abu Hasan told Dhaka Tribune: “Pregnant women, who suffered psychological trauma, needs extra health care and psychological support. “The refugees are not aware of family planning and birth control, which is affecting their health. They need to be made aware about these issues.”

Yellow flags to identify pregnant mothers’ location

Gonoshasthaya Kendra have hoisted yellow flags in makeshift shelters at Balukhai refugee camp to mark the locations of pregnant women and to provide them with follow up health check-ups. Dr Tareq said: “With theses flags, we can easily identify shelters occupied by pregnant women. The flags help us provide follow up health check-ups to these vulnerable women.”