These islands keep shifting so Assam made its healthcare mobile

NALBĀRI, September 22 — In remote riverine communities of Assam, India, access to healthcare is a major challenge for over 2,000 “chars,” or temporary river islands. The state, crisscrossed by the Brahmaputra river, is home to more than 30 million people. To address this issue, the Centre for North East Studies and Policy Research launched an initiative known as “Akha,” or “hope,” in 2005.

This initiative has brought a network of mobile boat clinics to 13 districts, providing doctors, medicines, vaccines, and basic laboratory services. Women and children on these remote islands, often prone to flooding and erosion, greatly benefit from the clinics. Rekibul Amin, a resident of Barballa river island, expressed that the boat clinic is their only source of healthcare.

The network has expanded to 15 boats, serving around 20,000 people monthly, with a focus on maternal and infant health to reduce mortality rates that exceed the national average.