Coxs Bazar Gonoshasthaya Kendra - Coxs Bazar Gonoshasthaya Kendra in Cox's Bazar Sadar, Cox's Bazar

Gonoshasthaya Kendra (GK): Gono means People Shasthaya means Health Kendra stands as Centre. GK has started its activities by establishing 480 beds Field Hospital named “Bangladesh Field Hospitalâ€Â for the injured freedom fighters and Bangladeshi refugees during the liberation war in 1971. It was located at Bisramganj of Tripura state of India adjacent to the Bangladesh border in the sector of 2 for the wounded freedom fighters and refugees. After the independence of Bangladesh some of the volunteers of Bangladesh Field Hospital formed Gonoshasthaya Kendra GK to provide health care to rural communities as part of the national effort to rebuild the war torn country. GK started its work with the motto Gramey cholo, gram goro (Let us go to the village and build the villages). GK was registered as a Public Charitable Trust in 1972. GK started with basic health care program, but soon expanded its activities in education, women’s development, agriculture, and disaster management and adopted primary health care approach for health. At present GK has concentrated efforts in five major areas: Health care, Advocacy and Education, Agriculture, Disaster Management, Vocational Training for Women. The health section comprises of a training division, and provision of rural and urban health services. GK is a pioneer in building health care in Bangladesh. It started its first experimental pilot project in April 1972, in Savar Upazila in Dhaka district. GK aimed to improve the quality of life, and particularly the health of the rural masses, by ensuring affordable and accessible health care. It has come a long way since 1972, both in terms of programme coverage and achievements. During the last 45 years, GK has increased its coverage under its basic health care services; including reproductive and child health care, from about 50,000 people in 50 villages in 1972 to over one million people in 615 villages. The programme is currently spread across the country in 43 Health centres in 19 districts (see Bangladesh Map). GK is now one of the largest service providers in the health sector outside of the Government of Bangladesh.