Bangladesh’s first floating hospital “Jibon Tari” has completed 23 years of providing specialized healthcare services to the disadvantaged population living in remote riverine areas.
Impact Foundation Bangladesh (IFB) launched the floating hospital on April 10, 1999. Since then, it has been sailing through the major riverways of the country, said a press release on Saturday.
The 40-metre long and ten-meter wide hospital has been providing specialized healthcare services for eye, ENT, orthopaedic, and cleft lip-palate treatment for the alleviation of common avoidable disabilities.
The three-deck hospital is equipped with modern medical and surgical equipment and its facilities include accommodation for 32 full-time residential staff members including doctors, nurses, paramedics, counsellors, medical technologists, and general staff members.
It has also two marine generators for uninterrupted power and a water purifying (reverse osmosis) plant for safe water.
Jibon Tari has so far provided medical services to about seven lakh patients and more than fifty thousand patients have undergone surgeries.
Since March 2021, it has been serving the people of the Jhalokathi district and to date, it has served patients at 32 locations in 22 districts.
