BGS Health & Pathology Centre, Matarbari

BGS Health and Nutrition program contributes a comprehensive primary health care service and awareness activities among its target population. This program started in the initial stage the organization. Considering the needs and responding community needs, BGS continues to implement the health and nutrition program with the support different donors and organizational contributions as well.

It is rendering the health care services and input delivery followed by two methodologies; center based curative health care services through primary health care and outreach health program through awareness and community engagement. The centre based curative primary health care services including safe child delivery offering a comprehensive approach that is being offered by BGS Primary Health and Pathology Centre which, is located in Matarbari union under Moheshkhali Upazila (sub-district) of Cox’s Bazar district, which is a remote Island of Moheshkhali Upazila, and the union is most vulnerable of natural disaster every year and tidal surge of sea water. While, the outreach community health awareness activities are being implemented in the community level in different areas of Bangladesh including the Rohingya communities in different camps of Teknaf and Ukhiya Upazilas.

 

Program’s goal:

To improve health outcomes and reduce malnutrition among vulnerable populations in Bangladesh through integrated health and nutrition interventions.

Key objectives: Service Components:

1. Access to primary care services.
2. Improve maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH).
3. Reduce malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies.
4. Enhance community capacity for health and nutrition awareness.
5. Strengthen primary health care services.

To implement the field-based program delivery, BGS deploys Health Workers, Health Promoters and Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) as frontline staff. It has been providing curative health care services to its target people. In the meantime, it has covered 600,000 women, children and community people.  The organization has adequate working experiences with the Rohingya

communities. It has been successfully implementing different Outreach Health Awareness Program for Rohingya Refugee families and host communities since 2015, with the project supports of International Organization for Migration (IOM) and World Vision International. The implementation of those projects involved multi-sectoral factions of health and nutrition promotional interventions, while it has preventive and curative aspects of health care survices. It has been implementing Health and Nutrition related project in Rohingya camps and Host communities in Cox’s Bazar district, with the support of Lichtbrücke Germany and IOM.

Target Population: 

1. Pregnant women and lactating mothers.
2. Children under 5 years.
3. Adolescents (especially girls).
4. Low-income families in rural and urban slums.

Service Components:

      1. Maternal & Child Health: 

• Antenatal and postnatal care, community awareness and referral support.
• Immunization drives in collaboration with government services
• Safe normal delivery, advocacy and referrals to Midwife and skilled birth attendants.
• Distribution of iron-folic acid (IFA) supplements to pregnant women.
• Promotion of exclusive breastfeeding (0–6 months) and appropriate complementary feeding.

      2. Nutritional Support and Interventions:

• Growth monitoring and promotion (GMP) for under-5 children.
• Community-based management of acute malnutrition (CMAM).
• Vitamin A, iron and zinc supplementation.
• Deworming campaigns for children and adolescents.
• Provision of fortified foods and nutrition kits to at-risk families.

      3. Adolescent Health:

• School-based nutrition education, awareness and menstrual hygiene.
• Distribution of iron-folic acid tablets to adolescent girls.
• Awareness sessions on reproductive health, hygiene and balanced diets.
• Support for adolescent friendly health services.

    4. Sanitation and Hygiene:

• Hygiene education (handwashing, menstrual hygiene etc.).
• Construction/rehabilitation of tube wells and sanitary latrines.
• Promotion of safe drinking water practices.
• Household level water purification awareness.

    5. Community Engagement and Capacity Building:

• Training community health volunteers and peer educators.
• Community nutrition education sessions (food groups, child feeding, etc.).
• Formation of Mothers’ Support Groups and Youth Clubs.
• Development of community gardens and homestead nutrition farming.

6. Cross-Cutting Issues:

• Gender Equity & Women’s Empowerment.
• Climate-Resilient Nutrition (addressing food insecurity during floods, etc.).
• Disability Inclusive Health Services.
• Behavior Change Communication (BCC).

Expected outcomes:

• Reduced mortal rates of mother and child.
• Increased uptake of antenatal and postnatal services.
• Reduced rate of morbidity.
• Improved nutrition indicators (stunting, wasting, underweight reduced).
• Higher rates of exclusive breastfeeding and appropriate child feeding.
• Stronger community engagement in health and nutrition.

Under the program, BGS has successfully implemented a number of projects during throughout the journey, with the supports and partnership of different donors and partners from home and abroad. The program has served more one million of targeted communities of host communities and Rohingya refugees.