Abstract
The August 2017 influx of over 900,000 Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals (FDMNs) into Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, precipitated a major humanitarian crisis. This paper presents an operational overview of the localized healthcare model implemented by Gonoshasthaya Kendra (GK) in partnership with Malteser International (MI) from 2022 to 2026 within the Cox's Bazar refugee camps. It examines this approach within global refugee health paradigms, contrasting it with traditional top-down international frameworks. Utilizing primary operational data, epidemiological datasets from the published reports of Cox's Bazar Health Sector, and peer-reviewed literature, the study evaluates financial resource mobilization, health workforce allocation, pharmaceutical supply chain integrity, maternal and neonatal health, Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) coverage, and community-based health promotion. The findings demonstrate that GK established a robust network of static health posts and community teams, mobilizing approximately USD 10.47 million and a multidisciplinary workforce of 167 personnel.
Key achievements include 15,597 antenatal care (ANC) and 3,298 postnatal care (PNC) consultations, 21,227 EPI vaccine doses administered, and 286,816 health education sessions. These interventions, implemented in coordination with other humanitarian and health sector partners, contributed to a reduction in the maternal mortality ratio from 168 to 135 per 100,000 live births between 2022 and 2025 across the selected project areas. The GK-MI framework offers a powerful proof-of-concept for humanitarian localization, showcasing how national NGOs can build resilient, cost-effective primary healthcare systems through local trust, community networks, and institutional knowledge, supported by international funding. This model highlights the necessity of prioritizing direct, rational un-earmarked funding, structural capacity building, and leadership roles for national entities to ensure sustainable healthcare in protracted displacement crises.