Five delegates from the Icelandic Red Cross are on their way to the city of Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh to work in a hospital set up for refugees from Myanmar. Nurses Björg Sigurjónsdóttir, Ellen S. Björnsdóttir, Hrönn Håkansson, Jóhanna Jónsdóttir og Margrét Kristjánsdóttir will work at the hospital alongside teams from the Norwegian and Finnish Red Cross. RÚV reported first.
More than half a million people have fled to Bangladesh from Myanmar. The refugees are Rohingya and are fleeing violence persecution by the Myanmar government. The situation is dire, and the area has also been greatly affected by flooding.
Icelander Lilja Óskarsdóttir, has been on location for the past month alongside two other Icelandic Red Cross delegates setting up the hospital. She says the situation is extremely difficult, and refugees “have little hope of work, school, or home.”
The Icelandic Red Cross often sends out delegates, however it is rare for such a large group to be sent.
