Health on wheels - Mobile health camp for poor

Madarihat Block is situated under Alipurduar district in hilly region of international border of Bhutan. Maximum people are living at tea garden area or Forest Basti area .Transport system is very poor. Electricity connection is not available in every house. Most of the tea garden of Madarihat block has been closed down. So now they have no income source to lead their Life properly. That’s why maximum people are low wages garden labour and some people work outside in the different state or country like Kerala, Delhi and Bhutan. High numbers of the people make local alcohol at their own house and sale it to the local market.

Another site safe drinking water is very problem in their daily life. People look for safe drinking water all the time but not get. Only way of getting water is through pipe line. Which is connect from Bhutan. The pipes are regularly damage. There is no provision of repairing either by the panchayat or by the garden. Safe drinking water is a very big crisis in the closed and sick gardens. Politicians, activities and media are not as vocal on this issue as they are on the food crisis. One will find little little boys and girls are carrying water in big polythene jars hanging on both sides of cycle from far away source. Collection of water is the most important issue in their daily life. Crisis exists in the running gardens too. Very few are lucky to get piped water from treated source. As the drinking water supply in the gardens is mostly electricity dependent, when the garden is closed or abandoned electricity is cut off, the workers receive no drinking water. Labour lines are far away from any other habitation and therefore any other source of drinking water workers and their families have in some cases forced to depend on river water. Which is unfit for drinking purposes. These streams are polluted because of dolomite-waste from the cement factories of Bhutan. Moreover, by using regularly unsafe water causes dysentery, diarrhea and other water borne disease has found in garden areas.   

By supporting National Health Mission (NHM) In June month we had organized 26 actual medical camps in six different places. Like-(1) Dhumsipara tea garden, (2) Hantupara tea garden, (3) Garganda tea garden, (4) Birpara tea garden, (5) Dimdima tea garden and (6) Kuheli club Tulsipara .Because People of that mentioned areas were not getting proper treatment by any Qualified MBBS doctors. There is only a BPHC hospital in Madarihat block. From our each camp, BPHC hospital is near about 15 KM. People of these areas could not take government service Due to availability of income source .We checked 1836 patients in June month. Among them 31 patients were pregnancy mother, Children with diarrhea were 32 and children with ARI were 12. Blood test done 117 in that month. We sent 59 patients for higher facilities to Government Hospital as referral cases. In that camp we checked the patient very carefully by MBBS doctor. We gave the medicine to the patients according to doctor’s advice.

“…There was extreme financial constraint in my family, yet I went to several doctors for my treatment of various age-related sufferings and complications spending lot of money, but I didn’t get myself cured. After receiving treatment through MMU free of cost I am feeling 90% well. Not only that many poor people of the area are also getting benefit through this mobile medical service. I am highly obliged for such service provided by Sabuj Sangha with the support of State Government ….”says Mr. Bibhutibhusan.

The Sridharnagar Gram Panchayat (GP) is a completely isolated island of Patharpratima Block situated on the mouth of Bay of Bengal. The island is highly geographically vulnerable as natural catastrophes are very often; and people of this island are susceptible in terms of health & education facilities, electricity, drinking water and other basic amenities. There are only three villages in this GP, Rakhalpur is one of those villages and the area is totally detached from the main land.

Mr. Bibhutibhusan is 84 years old a resident of Rakhalpur village, has three sons and one daughter. He has three bighas of cultivable land and his sons are engaged in paddy cultivation, which is the only means of earning for the family. They live in a mud-made thatched house and the family is in Below Poverty Line (BPL) category. Bibhutibhusan, at this age cannot work; few years back he was attacked by cerebral thrombosis but somehow he escaped from danger. He had eye related complication, couldn’t see properly and feeling pain in his both the eyes. After few days he started feeling severe ach in his head, neck, both the hands and legs also in spinal cord. His weaknesses were increasing rapidly and at this stage it became difficult for him to move even survive.

His sons were too busy with cultivation, couldn’t find time to take their father to doctor. On the other hand financial constraint was also another hindrance for treatment. One day he borrowed some money from one of his neighbor who took him to Popular Medical Hall at Kakdwip for treatment. He was treated there for more than a month but was not cured. Again he made contact with the doctor of another medical hall at Diamond Harbor, treated and provided medicine but he didn’t find any improvement of his health condition. At this stage he became extremely frustrated and hopeless due to his acute sufferings.

One day he knew about the Mobile Medical Unit (Camp) operational in his village once a week, where free treatment with medicinal support is available. He attended the camp, was examined by the doctor and he took medicine with advice. Gradually after about a month, Bibhutibhusan started feeling better about his health and he wondered, about 90% of his complications had gone away gradually. Presently, he is happy enough about his health, can move alone and want to continue treatment in Mobile Medical Unit run be Sabuj Sangha supported by Health Department of State Government.