Dhaka: WildTeam, a conservation organisation, and Friendship, an international Social Purpose Organisation, have launched a community healthcare initiative aimed at providing primary health services, health awareness, and referral support to vulnerable communities living on the edge of the Sundarbans forest. This initiative is set to benefit residents of Joymoni and the surrounding areas of Mongla upazila in Bagerhat.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the initiative was inaugurated with an orientation programme and a daylong health camp held at the WildTeam Conservation Biology Centre (WCBC) in Joymoni. Mongla Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Sharmin Akter Sumi inaugurated the event as the chief guest, with Dr Md Hasanuzzaman Sarker, Programme Officer at Friendship, attending as the guest of honour.
The programme commenced with registration and welcome remarks from WildTeam, followed by an overview of the WildTeam-Friendship Community Health Initiative. Dr Hasanuzzaman led an orientation session covering community mobilisation, patient identification, primary healthcare, health awareness, and referral procedures.
UNO Sharmin Akter Sumi highlighted the challenges faced by remote communities in accessing formal health facilities, noting that reaching the Upazila Health Complex can take up to 45 minutes, which can be life-threatening in emergencies. She emphasised the importance of accessible healthcare for marginalised people, particularly expectant mothers and those suffering from strokes.
The initiative is designed to improve access to basic healthcare, raise awareness of maternal, child, reproductive, adolescent, and general health issues, and establish referral linkages for forest-dependent households. Under the collaboration, Friendship will lead the medical component, offering qualified healthcare personnel and services such as primary healthcare, maternal and child health services, screening, counselling, and essential medicines.
Friendship Community Medic-aides will conduct household visits and courtyard sessions to identify individuals needing medical attention, mobilise patients for clinic services, and connect them with Friendship’s health and referral systems. Dr Hasanuzzaman noted that Friendship would maintain a list of patients requiring specialised treatment to connect them with its floating hospitals when they operate in the region.
Expressing optimism about the partnership, Dr Hasanuzzaman stated that cooperation from the local administration would be crucial. WildTeam will provide non-medical support, including community mobilisation, household listing, identification of vulnerable groups, registration, patient-flow management, local coordination, and referral follow-up.
The initiative prioritises forest-dependent households, women and adolescent girls, children, elderly people, pregnant and lactating mothers, forest-resource collectors, and other vulnerable residents. The programme is supported by Echotex and Echoknits, a UK-Bangladesh joint venture, and is part of the five-year programme Protecting Bengal Tiger and Biodiversity of the Sundarbans.
The WildTeam-Friendship Community Health Initiative builds on WildTeam’s established community platforms, such as Village Tiger Response Teams, Forest Tiger Response Teams, and other conservation efforts, to reach vulnerable households and provide necessary healthcare services. The event concluded with the inauguration of the health camp by the chief guest and a visit to the registration and consultation areas.