{"id":74,"date":"2026-04-07T17:39:17","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T17:39:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wpen.thebayinsight.com\/?p=74"},"modified":"2026-04-07T17:39:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T17:39:17","slug":"no-structured-mental-health-services-for-coxs-bazar-locals-over-250000-rohingya-received-support-in-eight-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress-dzfck.wasmer.app\/index.php\/no-structured-mental-health-services-for-coxs-bazar-locals-over-250000-rohingya-received-support-in-eight-years\/","title":{"rendered":"No structured mental health services for Cox\u2019s Bazar locals; over 250,000 Rohingya received support in eight years"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Bay Insight | Cox\u2019s Bazar<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the occasion of World Health Day, a report by Bay Insight revealed a concerning picture of mental health services in the Rohingya refugee camps in Cox\u2019s Bazar. From 2018 to February 2026, more than 240,000 Rohingya received individual counselling, while over 43,000 patients sought treatment from psychiatrists, according to data from the M\u00e9decins Sans Fronti\u00e8res (MSF), which provides healthcare services to Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Health workers said the demand for mental health services among Rohingya continues to rise due to violence, displacement, and prolonged stress of camp life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, in contrast to this progress, there is no structured government mental health service or specialist doctor available for the local population in Cox\u2019s Bazar, highlighting a worrying gap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rising demand at the start of the year<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In January and February this year alone, 7,616 people received individual mental health counselling, while 3,593 sought psychiatric consultation in the camps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although the services are open to both Rohingya and host communities, the majority of patients are Rohingya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A field-level counsellor, requesting anonymity, said, \u201cNew patients are coming every day. Many initially think they have physical problems, but later it turns out to be psychological.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Long shadow of trauma<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A large number of Rohingya who fled violence in Myanmar\u2019s Rakhine State in 2017 continue to carry deep trauma. Uncertainty in the camps, lack of employment, and insecurity are making their mental health conditions more complex.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A resident of Kutupalong camp, using the pseudonym Rahima Begum, said, \u201cI cannot sleep at night. Memories come back. I am always worried about my children. Sometimes I feel like I am losing my mind.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Health workers said such experiences are no longer rare, but widespread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Common mental health conditions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doctors identified the most common conditions in the camps as depression, anxiety disorders, psychosis, and bipolar mood disorder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Experts said effective treatment requires not only medication but also regular counselling and psychosocial support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MSF\u2019s integrated care model<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr Ashish Kumar Das, Deputy Country Representative (Medical) at MSF, said, \u201cEffective mental healthcare requires a combination of medication and structured counselling. We provide both through our mental health units.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MSF units are staffed with trained doctors, clinical psychologists, and counsellors, ensuring evidence-based and integrated care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Limited services for locals<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, mental health services for the local population in Cox\u2019s Bazar remain limited. Superintendent of Cox\u2019s Bazar Sadar Hospital, Mong Tin Nyo, said there is currently no psychiatrist and no dedicated mental health department at the hospital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said plans are underway to introduce a separate unit with psychiatrists and counsellors in the near future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Local resident Jahangir Alam said, \u201cWe don\u2019t even know where to go if we face mental health issues. Having such services in government hospitals would help us a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Challenges ahead<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While progress in mental health services in the Rohingya camps is notable, many people still remain outside treatment. At the same time, the lack of adequate services for the host community remains a major challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The situation in Cox\u2019s Bazar highlights one clear message on World Health Day: mental healthcare is now an essential part of humanitarian response, especially for displaced and vulnerable populations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cWe don\u2019t even know where to go if we face mental health issues. Having such services in government hospitals would help us a lot.\u201d Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":75,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[11,10],"class_list":["post-74","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-coxs-bazar","tag-11","tag-featured"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress-dzfck.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress-dzfck.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress-dzfck.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress-dzfck.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress-dzfck.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=74"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress-dzfck.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress-dzfck.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/75"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress-dzfck.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress-dzfck.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=74"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress-dzfck.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=74"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}