Mohammad Ali Asgar was recently rushed to the emergency department of Cox’s Bazar District Sadar Hospital after complaining of breathing difficulty. The experience left the 52-year-old shaken but also impressed at the quality of care he received. “It is wonderful that our country has an emergency department that meets international standards and is as well equipped. The medical care provided to me, and the professionalism of the physicians and nurses was very impressive,” says Asgar.
Supported by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Cox’s Bazar District Sadar Hospital provides quality medical care for both host and displaced communities from Myanmar.
Over 377,000 patients, including displaced people from Rakhine, received free medical consultations at the hospital’s emergency department as part of a joint project with the ICRC between 2019 and 2022.
The facility serves as a referral hospital for eight Upazila complexes (sub-districts), covering 142 public health-care centres and the displaced people from Rakhine living in camps.
Talking about the ICRC’s support to the hospital and the transformation in the delivery of health care, hospital superintendent Dr Md. Mominul Rahman says, “We did not have modern medical equipment or resources in the past. With the ICRC’s support, the emergency department is better equipped now and provides emergency care to 350 to 450 patients a day. It has also become a national model for providing comprehensive medical care under one roof to both Bangladeshis and displaced people.”
As a part of the Basic Emergency Care course, an ICRC staff provides hands-on training to help develop emergency health-care services. M. KARIM/ICRC
