Now aware, they take medical services for delivery

Two years back, the people of Sindurna Char, a remote locality in Teesta river basin area of Lalmonirhat’s Hatibandha upazila were hardly aware of modern healthcare including institutional delivery.

Once dependent on local kabiraj (herbal medicine practitioner) and untrained midwives, they now seek the doctor, and if not possible due to the odd location of the char (sandy land area emerging from riverbed), they take telemedicine support, thanks to the initiative of local NGO Eco-Social Development Organization (ESDO).

Nasima Khatun, 27, who had normal delivery of her second child with medical help recently, said, “I had a bitter experience while giving birth to my first baby at home four years ago. The child, who got injury in the head due to pulling by an unskilled midwife, is still having problems.”

Narzina Khatun, 25, also gave birth to her second baby in a normal way through institutional delivery a month ago.

“I took the help after learning that it is safe for both the mother and the baby. I had the first delivery at home with the help of an unskilled midwife in the traditional system, which was unsafe,” she said.

“Most women in the char area face odds while giving birth at home with the help of unskilled midwives. We and our guardians are now quite aware of modern healthcare but many elderly people in the char still seek help of kabiraj,” said Mazia Begum, 26.

Sindurna Char in Lalmonirhat saw at least three maternal deaths in 2017 but no such incident occurred here during the last one year, thanks to the free of cost prenatal services in the remote area, said Dr Ramjan Ali, health and family planning officer, Hatibandha upazila.

“Government officials are working there while Eco-Social Development Organization is helping us to provide better healthcare services through awareness programmes in the area. It is encouraging that rural women are now preferring institutional delivery,” he said.

ESDO launched the project a year ago and trained four female workers for six months on maternal health. The workers, known as “community skilled birth attendants” (CSBA), provide help to pregnant women in the char area.

Telemedicine care was provided to 310 people in the char area, including 284 mothers, 14 children and 12 adolescents while 78 others, including 54 mothers, 11 children, and 13 adolescents were given direct health service in the last one year, officials said.

The services costing Tk 2.89 lakh and 238 were provided under the ESDO’s project, “Integrated Community Development Project- II,” funded by Plan International, Bangladesh.

“The char people, especially mothers, children and adolescents are given telemedicine and health support free of cost,” said Abdul Mannan, manager of the project.

“When the time of delivery nears, mothers are brought to the mainland and admitted to government hospitals. We bear the cost,” he added.