Five Saudi-funded floating hospitals will provide healthcare to thousands of patients in remote rural areas of Bangladesh. It is expected that the two hospitals will be operational soon after Ramadan. News of Arab News.
These floating hospitals passing through different waterways of Bangladesh will provide medical services to poor people. The hospitals, named after the late Saudi King Abdullah, will be financed by the Islamic Development Bank under the King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Program (KAAP).
Under an agreement signed between the Islamic Development Bank and the Department of Health in 2017, the floating hospitals will initially be run by an NGO called Fendship. The NGO has been running floating hospitals in Bangladesh for over two decades. It is reported that the hospitals will be handed over to the Health Authority of Bangladesh after a certain period of time.
The cost of building the ship and the first five years of operation is about two million dollars. The ships will be named King Abdullah Friendship Hospital (1-5). Construction of two ships has already been completed. It has been informed that these two will be launched after Ramzan after discussing with the Bangladeshi authorities.
Runa Khan, executive director of the NGO, said, “Our people are ready.” Moreover, training has been given to the concerned staff. Everything is ready. He also hopes that the two hospitals will be opened by June or earlier.
Arab News reported that the ships were built at Narayanganj Shipyard, about 20 kilometers away from Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh.
Each ship will have a crew of 30. More than half of them will be doctors. The rest will be in charge of sailing and administration. All will remain in their residential cabins on board during duty.
The ships will ply on the Padma River, the Meghna River in the northeastern district of Sunamganj and the southeastern part of Hatia.
The report also says that Bangladesh is the largest delta in the world. One-third of the country is under water most of the time. Cyclones often form in the Bay of Bengal and floods occur in the southern region. At this time the journey by sea becomes easier.
MSM
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