Be it an expecting mother, or a toddler or even an ailing elderly person, everyone from a remote Char in Bagerhat’s Gouromva Union has to cross the deadly Pasur River to receive health care as there is no hospital in the area.
In fact, the entire union of 15 villages has no healthcare facility.
The voyage becomes rather frightening during high tide as the river meets the Bay of Bengal at its confluence, with the route in question passing through.
The rainy season adds to the woes of the ages-old miseries of the residents of Kaibaddasakathi Char (dried-up riverbed) in the union of Bagerhat’s Rampal Upazila.
Tania Begum, a member of the local jele polli (community of fishermen) there, said: “Up to 10 pregnant women need medical checkups on a regular basis. But there is no such facility here.
“Additionally, patients very often suffer from diarrhoea and skin diseases in our locality. They too are deprived of medication here."
The char is almost 20km away from Rampal Sadar (by road) and 2.5km off Chalna Municipality of Dakop Upazila in Khulna (on the river route). Rampal lies to its south and Chalna to the north.
In order to get to a hospital, locals of Kaibaddasakathi Char prefer going to Chalna as the distance is shorter – but it is much riskier.
Tania said: “We can’t even imagine journeying to Rampal Sadar most of the time as it is way too far. The route makes serious parents suffer more.
“So, we risk crossing the Pasur River very often as this is the shorter distance to get to a healthcare facility."
The woman, in her 20s, alleged that on some occasions people are denied medical services owing to their “not being residents” of Chalna.
“In that case, we fake our identities as it is urgent to receive treatment."
Her version of the sufferings involved reflects those of as many as 800 families of fishermen living in remote Kaibaddasakathi Char, which is located in Gouromva Union’s Kapasdanga village.
The locality is witness to children being born with malnutrition, mainly owing to the lack of proper healthcare for expecting mothers, the Kaibaddasakathi residents say.
During a recent visit to the area, this correspondent saw the houses there being poorly built. Besides, there is only one deep tube well for several thousand people.
The route from and to the locality – both on the river and road route -- is very vulnerable.
Initiative for Right View (IRV) Executive Director Marina Juthi admitted that there is no community clinic in the remote area.
“So they have two choices: either Rampal or Chalna. But making a voyage through the Pasur River is a deadly task,” she said.
The area not only lacks any government facility but also private initiatives for the healthcare of its residents, Juthi added, demanding that a community clinic be built there at the earliest.
Gouromva Union Parishad Chairman Rajib Sardar said a project has been cleared to construct a healthcare facility there.
“We’re now waiting for its implementation,” he said.
When asked about the Kaibaddasakathi Char being denied treatment at the Upazila Health Complex, Dakop Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer Sudip Bala dismissed the report as just an allegation.
“We try the best we can to cater to our patients. People from nearby areas and upazilas come here,” he said.
Khulna’s Deputy Civil Surgeon Mohammad Kamal Hossain, when contacted, said the complaints would be looked into.
“We’ll take action if the complaints are found to be true,” he added.
This is the second of a three-part series on the life and livelihood of a fishermen’s community in the Char areas of Bagerhat
