This article investigates neonatal mortality and stillbirth rates in Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh. An estimated 882,000 Rohingya refugees from Myanmar were forcibly displaced to Cox’s Bazar district of Bangladesh in 2017 and 2018.
The analysis is based on a prospective community-based mortality surveillance in 29 of 34 Rohingya refugee camps between September 2017 and December 2018, covering 811,543 Rohingya refugees with 19,477 estimated live births. The surveillance data were linked with publicly available data on health facilities, population size and geospatial information.
Main results:
- Overall, 530 neonatal deaths and 280 stillbirths were reported during the surveillance period, resulting in an estimated neonatal mortality rate of 27.0 per 1,000 live births and a stillbirth rate of 15.2 per 1,000 total births.
- Most neonatal deaths (76 percent) and stillbirths (72 percent) occurred at home or in the community.
- A positive correlation existed between the camp population size and number of health facilities inside the camp.
- There is no statistically significant correlation between the camp neonatal mortality rate or stillbirth rate and the number of health facilities inside the camp.
- Camps that were located closer to a secondary health facility had a lower neonatal mortality rate compared to camps closer to a labor room/sexual and reproductive health unit. Labor room/sexual and reproductive health units provide care for pregnant women for uncomplicated labor and childbirth, while secondary health facilities are meant to have capacity to manage both complicated and uncomplicated labor and childbirth.
The authors conclude that mortality and stillbirth rates among Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh are a cause of concern. The results suggests that proximity to secondary health facilities may have a protective effect on neonatal mortality rates. The findings emphasize the need to prioritize programmatic activities to increase the utilization of health services and improve the quality of care during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postnatal period in humanitarian settings.