Locals often carry a sick man for miles on foot at Char Gobordhon in Aditmari upazila under Lalmonirhat district to take him to a hospital, as the remote char (landmass emerging from the riverbed) area has neither modern treatment facilities nor any arrangement for mechanised transport. The photo was taken a couple of days ago. PHOTO: STAR

People of 85 villages in remote char (landmass emerged from riverbed) areas of five upazilas under the district are badly suffering due to lack of proper treatment facilities.
“We are deprived of free healthcare services as there is no government clinic or medical centre here. We have to depend on kabiraj (herbal medicine practitioner) and village doctors for treatment. Locals go to the government hospitals in the mainland only when a patient's condition gets serious,” said Mafidul Islam, 54, of Char Narsing of Aditmari upazila.
"We took an emergency patient to the government clinic in the mainland a couple of days ago. We had to do the arduous task of carrying him, walking for over two hours on the sandy char. Still we feel lucky as the patient could be saved through treatment at the clinic,” said Jahangir Hossain of Char Gobordhan village.
Meheron Begum of Char Sholmari village in Teesta River basin area of Bhotmari union in Kaliganj upazila said she lost her first and second babies as she was late to reach a government clinic in the mainland.
Emdadul Haque, a patient of Char Gobordhan village, said he has been taking treatment from a local kabiraj for the last three years but there was hardly any result.
The people of char areas have urged the government to set up clinics there to ensure healthcare services to them.
Contacted, Aditmari upazila health officer Dr Adam Ali said there is no special programme for providing healthcare services to the char people.