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Trained network staff, all Rohingya refugees, refer suspected COVID-19 patients to camps for care.
Saidul is one of more than 1,400 Rohingya refugees trained to go door-to-door in densely populated camps housing some 860,000 Rohingya refugees, sharing health and fitness information on disease symptoms, recording births and deaths, and acting as a bridge between refugee communities and fitness facilities.
The acceptance as true that Saidul and other volunteers have settled with the families they scale in has been very important since the first instances of COVID-19 were detected in Cox’s Bazar district in May. They were able to counter the rumours circulating in the camps with accurate data and practical advice.
“People tell us they’re afraid,” Saysul says. “They have heard how harmful the disease is and also that many other people around the world are dying.”
“People are afraid of us.”
Saidul now visits the 150 families in his assigned block each week. Explain to families how they can protect themselves from COVID-19 and some of the usual symptoms of the virus. For those he identifies who have symptoms, he advises them to get tested for COVID-19 in a gym and explains the help they can get in isolation and treatment centers.
“We explain to others that if you have symptoms and are afraid and don’t treat them in time, it can be your total circle of family members and others around you,” she says.
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Haroon, a 55-year-old refugee living in Kutupalong, began developing coVID-19 symptoms in June and was referred for a check-up through one of the network’s fitness workers. “We didn’t know about the disease, only it was deadly. Community fitness volunteers helped me overcome my concern and get the right treatment. I’ve learned that this disease is curable if appropriate measures are taken,” he says.
Saidul himself is not immune to the worry of being inflamed, but he needs to continue serving his community. “We’re scared, but we’re still looking to do our best,” he says. “We have a physical distance, we wear masks and we focus on the importance of our services.”
Although the scenario is worrying, so far the number of known COVID-19 cases among the Rohingya refugee population is small, with only 62 cases as of July 21. According to Dr. Asma Absari, head of technical assistance at the World Health Organization (WHO), “the biggest challenge we face is convincing others to get tested. how to prevent the spread of the disease.”
The role of netpaintings fitness volunteers is even more vital, as aid staff, in particular, reduce their paintings in camps to reduce the threat of virus transmission.
WHO has been working with UNHCR, the United Nations Refugee Agency, to exercise volunteers on how to identify COVID-19-related symptoms so that they can refer others for testing. But they face the worry and rumors that have discouraged many other people from coming to the fitness facility.
“Initially, refugees think that if COVID-like symptoms are expressed, others can simply attack them, the government can come and take them,” says Dr. Nazmus Sakib, a UNHCR public fitness partner, who supports the coordination of the Community Health Working Group.
“Community fitness is the key players that immediately interfere.”
“The community’s fitness staff are the main actors who immediately interfere … They are looking to build an acceptance between the fitness center and the community. That’s one of his main roles now.
Building accepting as true also means working with renowned network leaders like majhis (network leaders) and magnets (religious leaders) that can convey vital fitness messages.
“What the volunteers teach us, we tell people,” says Hafez Muhammed Salim, a magnet who uses his mosque’s microphone to spread data about coronavirus.
“If the network fitness staff didn’t do their homework, we wouldn’t have known where to go when we’re sick. We would have had a lot of problems,” he adds.
UNHCR has built two isolation and rehabilitation centres, with nearly two hundred beds for refugees and members of the local community. A large care unit has also been established for more severe cases. Amenities are a component of a joint effort through government and fitness components to make a total of 1,900 beds in camps and local communities; However, if instances accumulate rapidly, the capacity of isolation and rehabilitation centers may be exceeded.
See also: As the coronavirus spreads, refugee doctors must sign up for the fight
With this in mind, network fitness staff are also trained to provide home care to COVID-19 refugees and to advise them on how to avoid infections among family members. They will also direct affected families for home delivery of food, fuel and basic items.
“I think this is the most productive task I can do for the intelligence of my network,” said Saidul. “I need to continue to volunteer in the fitness of the network because in this way I can serve my network and your well-being.
© UNHCR 2001-2020