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PETALING JAYA: The government says the Malaysian field hospital in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, which was established to treat Rohingya refugees since late 2017, was closed earlier than planned due to a drop in patient numbers.
In a statement, the Defense Ministry said that there had been a decrease in the number of patients because there were now six other field hospitals in the refugee camp and the health condition of the refugees had improved over the years.
“The increase in the number of field hospitals (in Cox’s Bazar) has provided more options and access to health services for Rohingya refugees, as well as locals who have since reduced their dependence on the Malaysian field hospital, located outside the refugee camp.
“The creation of the Malaysian field hospital achieved its objectives and this withdrawal does not affect the bilateral relations between Malaysia and Bangladesh or the image of the country,” the ministry said.
The field hospital had treated 108,038 patients between November 2017 and March 2020, performing more than 3,500 surgeries.
In November 2018, it registered the highest number of patients per month with 8,763 people, but thereafter it registered a downward trend, and the number of patients dropped to 1,690 in February this year.
As a result, the ministry decided to terminate operations at the field hospital this year instead of December 2021 as originally planned.
He said he will continue to address Rohingya issues regionally and internationally and work to find a long-term solution to the refugee crisis.
He added that 56 members of the Armed Forces medical staff had been withdrawn, which has now allowed Armed Forces Hospitals nationwide to operate at full capacity to better handle the increase in the number of Covid-19 cases.
