Access to Health Service Utilization Among Chakma Refugees in India

Refugees have greater problem in accessing health services compared with general population and with other migrants. This study is an attempt to highlight the access to utilization of health care services and problems faced while accessing facilities by Chakma refugees in India. Study is based on the primary survey from the 400 head of the households. Result indicates that most desired facility for them is hospital, followed by electricity and school facilities. However fact is that Chakma refugees are living in such a deplorable situation of absences of heath facilities and health personals nearby that on an average they travel around 10 to 12 kilometers on foot or use bicycle to reach nearest government facility. In spite of 87 percent of them face shortage of money to spend on health care they opt private medical store even at the time of fatal ailment like malaria. Only 1 percent refugees are satisfied with the government facility and around 14 percent says that they are somewhat satisfied. On being asked about reasons, at least 95 percent of them feel that government facility is too far and around 27 percent says that problems they face are the negligence from the health personals.