The government is planning to launch a floating hospital to provide modern healthcare services to people in remote coastal, island and char areas across Bangladesh.
State Minister for Health Dr MA Muhit announced the plan while speaking to reporters after inspecting the proposed vessel beneath Babubazar Bridge in Dhaka on Friday (September 18).
Shipping State Minister Rajib Ahsan accompanied him during the visit.
The proposed floating hospital, named Shasthya Tari (Health Boat), is expected to provide medical and surgical services for common but complex conditions in 30 to 40 remote upazilas across four to five districts in southern Bangladesh, Muhit said.
The two state ministers reviewed the vessel’s proposed healthcare facilities and discussed its operational feasibility and service delivery model.
Dr Muhit said ensuring healthcare for underserved and hard-to-reach communities is one of the government’s top priorities.
The Health Ministry and the Ministry of Shipping have jointly planned the floating hospital to bring quality medical services closer to people living in remote areas, he said.
The vessel will provide maternal healthcare, safe delivery and postnatal care through midwives, child healthcare, general orthopedic surgery and cataract operations.
Specialist medical teams will travel aboard the vessel to provide treatment directly to underserved communities, he added.
Dr Muhit said privately operated floating hospitals had demonstrated success on a limited scale in the past.
A coordinated, government-run river-based healthcare system could help expand access to healthcare for coastal communities, he said.
Rajib Ahsan said providing healthcare to disadvantaged people in the remote char areas of Barisal, Noakhali, Bhola, Patuakhali and Barguna has long been part of the government’s plan.
The main objective is to provide treatment at the doorstep of people who are unable to travel to district hospitals or Dhaka for medical care, he said.
Health Services Division Secretary Dr ANM Bazlur Rashid, Health Education and Family Welfare Division Secretary AKM Benazir Riazi, and senior BIWTA officials were also present during the inspection.
