Source: Save the Children
The first baby born by caesarean section (C-section) was safely delivered at a new Save the Children hospital in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, at a time when global aid cuts are putting essential services at risk in the world’s largest refugee settlement.
The new Maternal and Child Hospital opened earlier this year and is the first facility to specialise in maternal and neonatal health in the Rohingya camps, where an overall reduction in donor funding has led to the closure of some health centres and learning facilities.
Health workers at the hospital realised the need for the C-section and safely delivered the baby last month after the baby’s mother, Shirin-, who has three other children, experienced prolonged labour with reduced amniotic fluid causing an irregular heartbeat for her baby and rising blood pressure.
Golam Mostofa, Cox’s Bazar Area Director, Save the Children International, said:
“Every birth is a moment for celebration but this birth in particular deserves a moment because our teams were able to support the mother throughout a delivery that came with complications.
“We opened this hospital to bring specialised care closer to those who need it the most and to ensure mothers feel safe and supported. Hopefully this will be the first of many successful deliveries that reinforce our commitment to strengthen healthcare for mothers and babies in Cox’s Bazar.”
The hospital, which has 59 beds, offers services including emergency newborn care and stabilization, antenatal care, nutrition support and services for gender-based violence survivors.
It is designed to care for both Rohingya refugee and women from host communities in Cox’s Bazar, where access to specialized healthcare is limited and maternal and newborn mortality rates remain high.
Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh is home to the world’s largest refugee camp and hosts over one million Rohingya refugees who fled persecution in Myanmar, with more than half being children.
Some Rohingya women experience high-risk pregnancies in the camps because of poor nutrition, limited pre-natal healthcare access, and underlying health conditions as well as other factors including the distance to and the cost involved in getting to a health facility.
Shirin-, the mother, said:
“The doctors and nurses took such great care of me that I felt safe throughout the procedure. The doctors also spoke to my family so they would understand why the surgery was necessary. The hospital is so clean, and they maintain hygiene well.”
Save the Children has been working in Cox’s Bazar since 2012 and significantly increased its activities following the 2017 exodus of refugees to Bangladesh, with programmes in education, health and nutrition, food, water, shelter, and child protection services.
The New Zealand Government has been supporting Save the Children health facilities inside the camps through the New Zealand Disaster Response Partnership since 2018, while a generous legacy gift from a New Zealander is also supporting the new hospital’s specialist treatment services.
-Name changed to protect anonymity.
About Save the Children NZ:
Save the Children works in 120 countries across the world. The organisation responds to emergencies and works with children and their communities to ensure they survive, learn and are protected.
Save the Children NZ currently supports international programmes in Fiji, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Laos, Nepal, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. Areas of work include child protection, education and literacy, disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation, and alleviating child poverty.