by Iffat Ara Sharmeen,
18 June 2025
Despite declining global humanitarian aid, Friendship Hospital Ukhiya continues to be a beacon of hope by providing critical healthcare services for both Cox’s Bazar locals and forcibly displaced Myanmar Nationals (FDMN).
Friendship Hospital Ukhiya (FHU) had its formal inauguration in 2021 but started its humble journey in 2017 immediately after the mass exodus of Rohingya people from Myanmar’s Rakhine state. It has primarily been serving as a specialised maternity centre, dealing with complex obstetric cases. Located in Balukhali, FHU provides services to host communities as well as FDMN patients.
With the generous support of France’s Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, International Organisation for Migration (IOM), and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), this 40-bed hospital provides medical services free of charge using state-of-the-art equipment, including two operating theatres for surgeries. According to the UNFPA, the FHU is responsible for 90% of reproductive healthcare in Ukhiya. Almost all pregnancy cases in the Rohingya camps are referred to the FHU.
Lifesaving Services for Women and Children
FHU provides crucial maternal and child healthcare services, including vaginal and C-section deliveries, ante-natal, postnatal, and paediatric care. There are five special care newborn units (SCAN-U) facilities and a maternity ward for high-risk mothers.
Apart from ultrasonography and other medical tests, the hospital conducts blood transfusions and has facilities to treat non-communicable diseases on-site. Referral facilities for all Rohingya camps are available. Women can also undergo cervical cancer and obstetric fistula screenings.
To encourage healthy family planning, FHU provides several forms of birth control, such as oral or injectable contraceptives, condoms, IUD, implants, etc. Under outpatient services (OPD), patients receive mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), gender-based violence management, and emergency care.
Troubling Trends
In 2023, 76,119 patients benefitted from FHU, availing a total of 140,177 services throughout the year. In 2024, total services provided by FHU was 241,891, served to 74,129 patients, a slight increase.
In just one year the number of reported ultrasounds doubled from 2,237 to 4,672, indicating a significant increase in pregnancies and maternal health issues. 2024 also saw a steep rise in postnatal care services, more than double than that of 2023, which explains the rising need for paediatric care among families. 2024 saw an increase in deliveries, demand for family planning services, and out-referrals to higher level care facilities.
In the current global scenario of aid disruptions, these trends are alarming, exacerbating the conditions of the FDMN. With the closure of Ukhiya Specialised Hospital, which was previously managed by Friendship and recently handed over to the Bangladesh Government by the UNHCR, existing healthcare facilities are facing mounting pressure and uncertainties.
Safe and dignified repatriation of the Rohingya is still a question looming in silence. The population increase and competition for healthcare are causing tensions. Yet, FHU and other primary healthcare camps set up by Friendship in the region continue to persevere, offering hope and dignity to those who need it most and healthcare for all.
