"In an exclusive interview recently with the Dhaka Tribune's Humayun Kabir Bhuiyan, Magali Roudaut, the country chief of MSF in Bangladesh, talks about the different health challenges faced by Rohingya refugees in the country, and how the organization provides services to both the refugees and the host communities The mental health and physical wellbeing of hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas living in overcrowded refugee settlements in Cox’s Bazar remain a serious cause for concern, Magali Roudaut, the Bangladesh country representative of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), has said. “Mental health continues to be a significant concern. Many of our Rohingya patients experience flashbacks, generalized anxiety, panic attacks, recurring nightmares and insomnia, as well as illnesses such as post traumatic stress disorder and major depression. We are also seeing more chronic mental health problems and psychiatric needs,” she said. “The result of trauma experienced in Myanmar, a lack of livelihood opportunities, and concerns about their future impacts their mental health wellbeing,” said Roudaut, a French national. Médecins Sans Frontières, which means Doctors Without Borders in English, is a Geneva-based international independent medical humanitarian organization. They have been providing services in the refugee camps since the latest episode of Rohingya crisis began in August 2017. “As well as providing mental health services to Rohingya refugees, a significant portion of MSF’s mental health activities serve local communities around the refugee settlements, ensuring that the mental health needs of the local population are also addressed. From late August 2017 till February 2019, we have conducted 23,751 individual mental health consultations and 37,202 group consultations for mental health,” she added. Asked about the challenges to their physical health, Roudaut said: “Overcrowded living spaces in the camps and bad quality water contribute to the risk of disease outbreaks in the camps. Many of these contagious diseases can be easily prevented through vaccination.” Currently, children until two years of age are receiving routine vaccinations, but older children have not been systematically vaccinated and remain vulnerable to preventable diseases, like measles or diphtheria, she said, stressing the need for inclusion of all children above two in the routine vaccination program..."