Friendship Floating Hospitals: Healthcare for the Riverine People of Bangladesh

Abstract

Bangladesh is a land of rivers, with the settlements near the river banks, coastal areas, and char island areas typically being zones of great poverty. Providing basic healthcare services to these people is a considerable challenge. In this situation, the Friendship Floating Hospitals emerged, offering a line of floating hospitals—the Lifebuoy Friendship Hospital, Emirates Friendship Hospital, and Rongdhonu Friendship Hospital. Providing full-fledged hospitals inside a ship, these ships sail to the threshold of the riverine people of Bangladesh and dock nearby to help people access their basic right to decent health. This article explores the unique health services provided by the Friendship team, utilizing an approach, “the 4As” (affordability, availability, acceptability, and awareness), to assess health service delivery for the riverine people of Bangladesh.