//Note: I’ve underlined the factual details I’m not too sure about. Cross-check, pls.

Kumirmari is the last habitable island of the Indian Sundarbans, and unsurprisingly remote. The Aila of 2009 was particularly cruel on this island. It hasn’t yet fully recovered, having lost most of the mangrove cover that saved the island from giving way to the ever-widening river.

With about 1000 people living there, the closest resemblance to any health service they have is a tiny primary health centre. There’s only one doctor tending to all these villagers, and given the resources he’s equipped with, no severe/mildly severe ailment can be taken care of. Any proper treatment is, therefore, a world of boat ride away. Even if the river is kind and transport available, the patient has to travel for about three hours to reach the closest proper town with basic health amenities. Hospital for them mean the government run ones in Kolkata, where they need 6-7 hours to reach. Any case of emergency cannot wait that long, and even when it’s not an emergency, crucial cases tend to worsen in such long transits.

The Rotaract Club of Heritage Institute of Technology, on a previous visit a few months back, had recognised this problem through conversation with close to 100 families on that island. As most of the inhabitants voiced similar concerns about health services, RC-HITk decided to plan a health camp, which intended to introduce basic health profiling and medicine distribution.

It took place on the 14th and the 15th of November, organised by a team of 10 Rotaracters, accompanied by two doctors from Kolkata:Dr Biswarup Lahiri, Cardiologist and Consultant Physician, affiliated to CMRI, andDr Arpita Lahiri, Professor, Dept. of Nephrology, IPGMER.

The health check-up included measurement of weight, blood pressure and blood sugar. About 156 villagers were checked in these two days. A vast majority of them rely on physical labour for sustenance, so issues pertaining to those were expected.

Most of the patients suffer from arthritis, owing to old age. Some, however, were diagnosed with severe complications, for which further medical tests were advised. After the check-up, medicines were distributed.The camp has helped the inhabitants get aware of their health issues that aren’t merely skin-deep, and that aren’t curable without qualified medical expertise. Prevention is better than cure, but awareness is crucial for prevention. While some of them have realised how their health can get better with a few lifestyle changes, the others have been cautioned about how their conditions can get worse if prompt help is not sought.

Because here at Kumirmari any proper hospital is hours away, and the river isn’t always kind.