Integration of eye care into healthcare services for the Rohingya people and the host community in South East Bangladesh

Since 2021 ESCRS has played an essential role in helping to fund cataract surgery for the Rohingya and host community in Cox’s Bazar, South-East Bangladesh. Orbis has been implementing the project through a local partnership with Cox’s Bazar Baitush Sharaf Hospital (CBBSH) and the Alliance for Cooperation and Legal Aid Bangladesh (ACLAB) with generous support from ESCRS and Qatar Charity.

This important project aimed to further integrate eye care for the Rohingya refugees and the host population of South-East Bangladesh into local healthcare services. Prior to Orbis intervention, there was little to no access to eye care facilities.

Key objectives:

1. To improve access to eye care services through Vision Centres and community outreach for the Rohingya and host community.
2. To increase awareness among both the Rohingya population and host community of primary eye care availability, through awareness raising programmes and community engagement.
3. To advocate for a comprehensive district eye care service delivery model for Rohingya and host populations.

During 2022, our partners CBBSH and ACLAB, undertook primary eye screening, subjective evaluation, spectacles and medicine distribution, cataract surgery, and frontline health worker training on primary eye care and achieved the targets in all indicators for this project. Generous funding from ESCRS was used to fund cataract surgeries and restore sight for people on the waiting list.