River ambulance to provide medical services to char people of North Bengal

Advisory: With photo

Dhaka, Aug 21 (BDNEWS) – A river ambulance is afloat on the river Jamuna to provide medical services to the monga-hit char people of North Bengal.

'Friendship', a private charity organisation, will launch the medical service from the next month.

The ambulance to be run by the engine-driven boat will cover Kurigram and Gaibandha districts in the first phase.

French citizen Yves Marre who is a naval architect and his wife Runa Khan Marre, who hails from Tangail, have been providing medical services through a ship-turned hospital called 'Lifebuoy Friendship Hospital' to the char people of North Bengal for last three years.

Runa Marre is also an 'Ashoka fellow.' The Marre couple are the initiators of the river ambulance.

Runa Marre told BDNEWS about this unique ambulance which is 20 meters in length and six meters in width will at first be used to bring patients to the Lifebuoy Friendship Hospital from the remote char areas.

If necessary, critical patients will be sent to nearby district hospitals, she added.

Runa said it is the first ever endeavour to introduce this kind of ambulance service in our country. Even, such types of ambulance are not available in the neighbouring countries, she added.

But this type of ambulance is very useful to carry patients to hospital on an emergency basis in the riverine country, she observed.

According to Runa Marre's opinion, more ambulances of such type should have to be introduces in our country.

"We want to extend our support with a plan of the boat and other relevant consultancy services, if governmental or private initiators try to introduce such type of ambulance service in the country, she said.

On a question of how the patients from the remote char areas will be identified, Runa told BDNEWS "we provided one mobile phone set for each temporary health centre and other projects which we have established in the remote char areas almost on a voluntary basis. With the help of the cell phone, the news will be reached within minutes.

She said, 'Joyark', a British-based organisation, is financially assisting the 'Friendship River Ambulance'.

BDNEWS/1811 hrs.