Hospital: Bali Island
Healthcare, Affordable Construction - Sunderbans
Bali Island, Bijaynagar 9
Why
- The Sunderbans (a group of 102 islands spread over West Bengal and Bangladesh) is one of the most impoverished, neglected and remote regions.
- The area is prone to cyclones and has no basic facilities such as drinking water, electricity and medical care.
- The nearest 16-bed Government Primary Health Centre is in Gosaba, 2 hours away by boat.
- For specialised treatment, patients need to travel to Kolkata, which they can ill afford, both economically and in terms of distance.
- This distance proves fatal for patients, particularly snakebite and stroke victims.
- The hospital will raise hygiene awareness and provide medicare, and preventative treatment (vaccinations) to the 95 000 people living on Bali island and the surrounding islands.
- Our safe drinking water programme covers 17 villages.
Innovative Construction
- Construction of the hospital commenced on 12 February 2014 utilizing discarded PET bottles filled with waste mud (replacing bricks) and Nylon-6 fish net (replacing steel in the concrete slabs).
- This construction method promotes waste management and is extremely affordable, environment-friendly and cyclone and earthquake resistant.
Hospital
- Solar and diesel generated power has been installed due to the absence of electricity on the island.
- Lack of accessibility to the site was countered by acquiring two ambulance speedboats and by building a jetty, road and bridge.
- Measuring 7000 sq. ft., the hospital includes:
- two General Wards with 10 beds each,
- a Paediatric Ward with 6 beds,
- an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) with 2 beds,
- an Emergency Room with 1 bed,
- an Isolation Ward with 1 bed,
- an Operating Theatre,
- an X-Ray Room/USG,
- an Out Patients' Department (OPD).
- The hospital will focus on emergency, trauma, childbirth and neo-natal care.
- As most fatalities occur due to reptile and insect bites, stocks of anti-venom will be available.
- The hospital was inaugurated on 15 October 2014 and the OPD (Out Patients' Department) opened its doors to the public on 12 November 2014.
- We are in the process of obtaining appropriate licences for full-fledged running of the hospital with the facilities as specified.
Samarpan Foundation has applied for and is in the process of registering its patent for Nylon-6 Fish Net and PET Bottle Construction under the Patents Act, 1970, with the Controller of Designs under the Design Act, 2000 and under the Copyrights Act, 1957.
