Floating clinics provide care to residents of remote islands in India

Thousands of residents in isolated settlements scattered across approximately 2,000 small islands and sandbanks in the northeastern Indian state of Assam receive basic healthcare services aboard floating clinics.

Healthcare facilities are scarce in these areas, which stretch along the Brahmaputra River and its numerous tributaries. According to the local government, the few existing centers suffer from staff shortages or are completely understaffed.

To overcome these challenges, 15 floating clinics traverse 13 districts in Assam, bringing doctors, medicines, vaccines, and basic laboratory services to isolated communities.

Raqib Al-Amin, a resident of Barpala Island in Nalbari District, which has no health center, says, “We rely entirely on the river clinic.”

He adds, “All the medicines we receive are provided by the river clinic,” noting that women, in particular, have “benefited greatly” from its services.

Dr. Habib Haq, who works on a floating clinic in Nalbari District, says, “We are very happy to help these poor, low-education residents living in hard-to-reach areas.”

According to the United Nations agency, approximately 20,000 people benefit from these clinics’ services each month, which focus primarily on maternal and child health.

Despite significant progress in recent years, infant and maternal mortality rates remain a cause for concern in the state, which has a population of over 30 million.

According to the latest official figures, the state records 29 infant deaths and 34 deaths among children under five per 1,000 live births, compared with national rates of 24 and 28, respectively.

Dr. Habib Haq says, “We focus especially on pregnant women who need regular check-ups to monitor their pregnancies, as well as newborns who must receive their routine vaccinations.”