Boat clinics a boon for India's river islands
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A mobile boat clinic network is transforming healthcare access for remote riverine communities in northeastern India's Assam state. Boats equipped with doctors, medicines, vaccines, and basic lab services travel the Brahmaputra river to serve hundreds of thousands of people on 300,000-year-old "chars" — temporary river islands and sandbars.
Assam's 2,000+ chars lack most healthcare facilities, with limited manpower, according to the local government. The network launched by non-profit The Centre for North East Studies and Policy Research in 2005 has expanded to 15 boats, serving around 20,000 people monthly through Unicef support. Mothers and infants benefit most, with the clinics focusing on antenatal care and routine immunization.
Medical officer Habibul Hoque expressed joy at serving these impoverished char communities, where poverty and illiteracy hinder healthcare access.
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