Crystal D'Souza

Dr. Anowarul Alam has just finished dressing a patient's wound and her phone rang. From the conversation, those present around make out that the person on the other end of the phone is seeking medical help and  waiting for Dr. Alam. The patients is suffering from high fever and needs antibiotics urgently.

Calling Dr. Alam was the only option for this inhabitant of a remote island in the Sundarbans; it would take him about three days to walk to the nearest government hospital.

After speaking on the phone, Dr. Alam instructs someone, “We have to leave immediately.” A few minutes later, the roar of the boat engine indicated the vehicle is ready for take-off. The white boat started moves at full speed through the slushy waters of the Sundarbans (one of the world’s largest forests in West Bengal).

Meanwhile, the doctors, nurses, X-ray technicians, lab technicians, and pharmacists have picked that they need to –medicines and equippments - and quickly board the boat.

A Boat Clinic

Dr Alam is one of the doctors appointed by the Southern Health Improvement Samiti (SHIS) Foundation, founded by Mohammed Abdul Wohab and Sabitri Pal, who have been providing medical services to the people living in isolated and the remotest Island of the world’s largest mangrove forests.

About his unique service, Dr. Alam said, “We treat about 34,578 patients every month. We have four boats for this and they are scheduled every Monday. Throughout the week, we provide medical facilities in 30 islands of the Sundarbans. We cover six blocks on the northern side and 13 on the southern side. Every Sunday, we return to the mainland and arrange medicines, essential supplies, rest, and other preparations for the following week.”

Dr. Alam has been working for the Samiti for 10 years. He was among the initial doctors appointed by the founders  Mohammad Abdul Wahab and Sabitri Pal in 1980.

West Bengal will never forget the day of September 27, 1978. Thousands of houses were destroyed and countless people died due to heavy rains. Lakhs of people faced starvation and homelessness. Wahab, who lived in Howrah at the time, recalls those horrific moments, saying that people and their livestock were being swept away in the water.

Everywhere, flood-affected people were forced to take shelter in other people's homes and schools, some even trying to save their lives by climbing trees. In this difficult time, Wahab saw a foreigner driving a boat, and distributing food packets to the flood-affected people. It triggered an idea in his mind. Later, he learned that the foreigner was Grenzian Gaston, a nurse from Switzerland.

Doctors and pra-medical staff in Boat clinic

Gaston was suffering from a heart condition, but he decided to dedicate his life to the poor of India. Gaston's sacrifice and selflessness inspired Wahab and his wife Sabitri Pal to follow the path of public service. They shifted to their native area of ​​Bhangar, South 24 Parganas, to launch their initiative. They started identifying areas where people were in dire need of medical help.

The flood waters receded, throwing up fresh challenges as diseases especially tuberculosis (TB), started affecting the people. “We saw people dying of TB before our eyes,” says Wahab. Most patients did not get to see a doctor for primary check-ups until they started coughing blood, and, it was often too late by then.

At that time, there were only three doctors in the Sundarbans, while the number of patients had crossed three lakh.

Wahab and Sabitri decided to help these patients. They had heard that some doctors in Kolkata were providing free medicines. They collected these medicines and began distributing them in a small space given by a tea shop owner.

Soon, people from different islands in the Sundarbans started coming with ailments like cough, fever, and TB. As the flow of patients increased, Wahab and Sabitri realized that they had to provide better facilities.

Soon, they acquired four modern medical boats and two ambulance boats, further strengthening their charitable mission to launch the clinic boat service of their Southern Health Improvement Samity, 34 years ago.

A child delivered in Boat clinic

Today, the SHIS Foundation has launched TB control programs, eye care hospitals, schools for girls, educational centers for special children, and skill training centers for women.

Shedding light on his mission, Dr. Alam says, “Reaching remote areas is a challenge for us, but when we see our patients healthy, all the fatigue goes away.”

Recounting a recent incident, he says, “A pregnant woman was given first aid at our boat clinic, but she needed more immediate care. We arranged local transport and took her to the nearest government hospital, where she delivered a healthy baby boy. Moments like these make us smile." Each boat clinic has two medical beds, Dr. Alam, a portable X-ray unit, a pathology laboratory, a medical store room, and an oxygen cylinder.

So far, the Sheesh Foundation has treated about 800,000 patients. Wahab, the founder, says that all the doctors and medical staff at the Boat Clinic are paid a salary.

ALSO READ: Neha Bharti seeks to fight hate with her Iftar platter

The people living in the remote islands of the Sundarbans no longer die of disease. Wahab and Sabitri Pal's efforts have ensured they get medical treatment at their doorsteps.

Courtesy: Better India (This is the slightly edited version of the original story)