Paper details
| Paper authors | Georgia Venner, Jennifer Palmer, Tasmia Aksi, Mahima Das Mumu, Mohammed Mirza Nu, Gillian McKay, Mahbub Ur Rahman Ujjal, Bhargavi Rao, Ahmed Hossain, Susannah Mayhew |
| In panel on | Humanitarian Aid Workers: Ethics, Altruism, and Best Practices |
| Paper presenter(s) will be presenting |
In-Person / |
Abstract
Frontline health workers are critical intermediaries in outbreak responses yet workload demands on them during outbreaks come at a substantial cost to their health and wellbeing. Policies and accountability mechanisms designed to protect health workers are weak both locally and globally. The refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar have faced repeated outbreaks of infectious diseases since the 2017 influx of Rohingya from Myanmar. Extensive research has reported distrust and fear of healthcare services from Rohingya communities, yet research on health workers is limited. Focusing on systems “software” (relationships and people) in the Health Sector response, this study explores power structures and social dynamics experienced by health workers during outbreaks in the camps, integrating information from 33 interviews and four data validation workshops with frontline health workers and humanitarian stakeholders. Health workers described complex relationships to authoritative structures in the camps which sometimes compromised medical practices and protection in their clinics. Health workers largely felt unheard and unprepared for outbreaks under the humanitarian response. They routinely experienced risks to their mental and physical health related not only to infectious diseases but also volatile camp insecurities, and received minimal organisational support. This study is the first to explore health workers' social and political environment in the Rohingya crisis, providing crucial insights to improve outbreak preparedness and response efforts and strengthen patient-provider trust. Response efforts must be redesigned to include health workers’ safety, promote inclusiveness in outbreak decision-making, and ensure robust preparedness practices are prioritised for future outbreaks.
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