HAEFA Monthly News

Health And Education For All - December 2020

December 2020 Newsletter
Issue #2 - Ensuring Healthcare for the Most Vulnerable

Donate Today to Help Support 1.1 Million Rohingya Refugees

Highlight - Public Health Award

Awarded the 2020 Public Health Award by the Executive Committee of Public Heath Foundation, Bangladesh, Dr. Ruhul Abid (Founder & President) discussed the challenges of COVID-19 and HAEFA's response as Keynote Speaker in the inaugural ceremony of the 8th Foundation Day and International Virtual Public Health Conference (watch here).

Training-of-Trainers Program

The December session of the COVID-19 Competency Training-of-Trainers (ToT) Program successfully trained 60 healthcare professionals from numerous organizations in Bangladesh.

Consequently, 600 more individuals are expected to receive secondary training through these new trainers. This program, initiated in April 2020 in response to the virus' outbreak, is the result of the collaboration between HAEFA, Brown University, and Project Hope. The success of this recent training round ensures that HAEFA's first ToT session run by Bangladeshi clinicians soon take place in the month of January, giving the program a new independence and allowing the amount of indirectly trained professionals in Bangladesh to grow exponentially in the coming months.

"Pandemic 20" - Channel S

Watch the January 5th replay as Dr. Abid discussed the year's pandemic and its lasting effects on Channel S, a UK TV channel and most popular Bengali channel outside Bangladesh.

True Stories From The Rohingya Camps

Dr. Bushra Naz, Medical Officer and Project Coordinator for the HAEFA Medical Centers in the Rohingya camps, shares the stories of two regular weekly patients at our medical site in the Kutupalong camp of Cox's Bazar.

Their struggles with conditions including hypertension and diabetes and their experience with HAEFA's medical team are shared by thousands of other Rohingya patients. However, many more refugees still suffer from chronic and non-communicable diseases without receiving treatment or healthcare.

COVID-19 In Cox's Bazar

As of 03 January 2021, 5,774 cases and 73 deaths have been reported in Cox's Bazar.
Last week (Dec 28 - Jan 03), 50 new cases were reported in Cox's Bazar.

COVID continues to remain a priority in Cox's Bazar, where the Rohingya refugees' health and living conditions cause over 20% of the population to be considered at risk. The recent detailed weekly report, compiled by the Health Sector of Cox's Bazar (a collaboration of over 100 partners, including HAEFA) and the World Health Organization, provides a comprehensive overview of the virus' evolution over time in the camps and the actions taken to combat it.

Featured Story - A Day With HAEFA At An RMG Factory

Between 2013 and 2020, HAEFA provided over 30,000 screenings and treatments for RMG workers. Rodela A. Khan, PhD, MPH, recounts the experience and screening process from a 2018 visit to a GCC-funded HAEFA clinic in Dhaka in this photo essay.

Current Activities Highlights

Rohingya Camps: Contact tracing and symptom monitoring of 174 "presumptive COVID-19" patients in home quarantine. Distributed Protective Health and Hygiene Packages, which include face masks, bar soaps, washing aprons, and toilet brushes, to over 200 families since October.
Cervical Cancer Screening : Collaborating with organizations such as LAMB to screen 737 women in Kurigram District using “see-and-treat” cervical cancer screening and treatment method in the month of December 2020.
COVID-19 Competency TOT training by HAEFA, Brown University and Project HOPE: 60 new trainers were certified of the December 7-10 session, with an expected 600 secondarily trained as a result. The next session is expected to be held by Bangladeshi medical professionals in late January.

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