KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 1 — The Malaysian Field Hospital (MFH) in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh has been given a refreshed look and arrangement to provide more inclusive services to the Rohingya refugees and locals there.

Col Dr Mohd Arshil Moideen, the commander of the operation codenamed ‘Op Starlight’ said through various initiatives and partnerships with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) such as Malaysian Relief Agency (MRA) and the Islamic Medical Association Malaysia’s Response and Relief Team (IMARET), HMM was now able to accommodate 150-200 per cent more patients and perform more surgeries.

"To date, 37,025 patients have been treated at MFH and 935 operations have been performed, while the laparoscopic surgery set which was taken there by the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) is the only such mobile facility available in Bangladesh.

"New cabins have been set up to accommodate an Outpatient Clinic, laboratory, x-ray room, surgery rooms, dispensary, and new storerooms,” he said in a statement today.

Dr Mohd Arshil said the layout provided a fresh new look, in line with HMM’s good image.

He said the hospital had received various international accolades including from the World Health Organisation, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, HOPE, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner, Migrant Offshore Aid Station, and various other local agencies.

"The Bangladesh government has also recognised MFH for its excellent service and the hospital now not only provides complete tertiary health services, but also mobilises the Forward Medical Team (FMT) to the refugee camp to implement various health assistance programmes for the Rohingya refugees,” he said.

Dr Mohd Arshil said the initiative had received praise and recognition from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and MFH had been invited to become IOM’s official partner in FMT programmes.

The MFH’s Water Treatment Team in collaboration with IMARET has also installed five units of the SafeWhere water treatment system in refugee camps set up by the MAF and IMARET. — Bernama