UAE-Bangladesh field hospital for Rohingya refugees inaugurated

The UAE-Bangladesh voluntary field hospital was today inaugurated in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, as part of a programme by the Zayed Giving Initiative to ease the suffering of Rohingya refugees, with the UAE being the first country to launch a field hospital for the refugees.

The hospital will provide diagnostic, treatment and preventive services for children and elderly individuals suffering from diseases caused by the lack of access to basic health care.

The hospital is supervised by a team of doctors from the UAE and Bangladesh, under a voluntary and humanitarian framework, in line with the directives of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan declaring 2018 as the Year of Zayed.

The initiative aims to promote the UAE’s role and humanitarian mission, under a joint initiative by the Zayed Giving Initiative, Dar Al Ber Association, Sharjah Charity House and the Saudi-German Hospitals Group, in partnership with the Hope Association for Motherhood and Childhood in Bangladesh and in coordination with the UAE Embassy.

The launch of the hospital is in line with the UAE’s culture of giving and humanitarian volunteer work, which was established by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and followed by the wise leadership, with the aim of strengthening this culture.

The hospital will operate in its current location in an area containing Rohingya refugees, in co-ordination with local officials and in partnership with humanitarian organisations, based on an operational plan, which will be carried out within a specific timeframe and managed by volunteer doctors from both countries, to provide the best medical services to children and elderly people, in coordination with the Emirates Volunteer Centre and supervised by the Emirates Programme for Social and Specialised Volunteering.

Dr. Reem Othman, Ambassador of Humanitarian Action, stated that the UAE leads in responding to emergency cases, especially in the medical field, through its volunteer medical teams and its mobile clinics and hospitals, which are equipped with the latest equipment that comply with the best international standards.

Emirati heart surgeon, Dr. Adel Al Shameri, CEO of the Zayed Giving Initiative and President of UAE Doctors, highlighted the importance of the free medical services provided by the volunteer medical teams and a mobile hospital to the Rohingya refugees, whose numbers are estimated to be more than 800,000.