Specialist maternal hospital opens in Rohingya refugee camps
New facility in Cox’s Bazar opens amid aid cuts that have forced clinic and school closures across world’s largest refugee settlement
DHAKA, Bangladesh (MNTV) — A specialized hospital focused on maternal and neonatal care has opened in the Rohingya refugee camps in southeastern Bangladesh, offering rare referral-level services in a region where aid cuts have already forced multiple health centers to shut down.
The new Maternal and Child Hospital, located in Cox’s Bazar, is the first facility in the camps dedicated exclusively to maternal and newborn health. The hospital was established and is operated by Save the Children, which said the center aims to address longstanding gaps in emergency obstetric and neonatal care.
The opening comes at a time when humanitarian services in the camps are under mounting pressure. Reductions in foreign aid and donor funding in 2025 have already led to the closure of some healthcare facilities and hundreds of learning centers, according to humanitarian agencies working in the area.
More than eight years after fleeing military violence in Myanmar, over one million Rohingya refugees remain confined to camps in Cox’s Bazar, making it the largest refugee settlement in the world. Women and girls account for more than half of the displaced population, with maternal and newborn mortality rates remaining high amid limited access to specialized care.
The 59-bed hospital is designed to provide round-the-clock emergency obstetric services, including caesarean sections, emergency newborn care, antenatal services, nutrition support and care for survivors of gender-based violence. It will also serve women from nearby host communities, where access to advanced maternal healthcare is similarly constrained.
Health workers at the facility include obstetricians, anaesthetists, nurses, midwives, and support staff, with ambulance and referral systems in place for cases requiring advanced treatment beyond the camp.
Save the Children said the hospital is intended to function as part of a broader health system in coordination with local partners and Bangladeshi authorities, rather than as a standalone service.
Humanitarian groups have warned that sustained underfunding risks reversing fragile gains in maternal and child survival in the camps, where preventable complications during pregnancy and childbirth remain common.
The organization has urged donors and the international community to continue supporting maternal and child health services in Cox’s Bazar, stressing that access to timely and quality care can be decisive in preventing deaths among mothers and newborns in the overcrowded settlement.
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