Jibon Tari, the first floating hospital in Bangladesh, celebrated its 24th anniversary today on the bank of Arial Kha river at Mirganj in Barishal's Babuganj upazila.

The special day was observed with a simple ceremony, recalling the contribution of those who had dedicated their efforts and resources over so many years to materialise the dream of taking specialised healthcare services to the doorsteps of the poor people living on the bank of rivers in rural Bangladesh, said a press release.

The floating hospital is an innovation of Impact Foundation Bangladesh.

It has treated over seven lakh patients and performed surgeries for correction of physical disabilities on more than 50,000 people including children and women over the last 24 years at different locations of the country.

The three-deck specialised floating hospital, 40 metres in length and 10 metres in width, was launched on the bank of the River Padma at Mawa Ghat of Munshiganj district on April 10, 1999.

This foundation was launched in 1993 and is registered as a Charitable Trust and NGO with the NGO Affairs Bureau, Government of Bangladesh with a mandate of prevention and alleviation of avoidable disabilities among the rural population.

For the past 24 years, the floating hospital has been providing medical and surgical treatment for eye, ENT, orthopaedic, and cleft lip-palate problems among the poor people living on the banks of the major rivers of the country.

The hospital is well equipped with modern medical and surgical equipment and its facilities include two operation theatres, patient ward, digital X-Ray, modern pathology and accommodation for 32 full-time residential staffers including doctors, nurses, paramedics, counselors, medical technologists, and general staff members.

Many foreign surgeons and nurses have visited the hospital to perform surgeries and providing training to local surgeons. They helped in developing systems and protocols for quality medical treatment and surgery. Now, local specialist surgeons perform surgeries every month.

Other than providing medical and surgical services, the hospital is also engaged in creating mass awareness regarding disability and its prevention among the local rural people.