STAFF CORRESPONDENT

Jibon Tari, the first floating hospital in Bangladesh, celebrates its 27th anniversary today in Gazipur’s Kaliganj upazila.

This floating hospital is an innovative project of Impact Foundation Bangladesh (IFB), which focuses on taking affordable and specialised healthcare services to the doorsteps of rural, marginalised people.

Over the last 27 years, it has treated over eight lakh patients and performed more than 58,000 surgeries, according to a press release from IFB.

The three-deck hospital started its journey from the bank of the Padma river at Mawa Ghat in Munshiganj on April 10, 1999. Since then, the vessel has travelled to over 35 locations across the country’s riverine districts. Recently, it has been anchored in Kaliganj since May 2025.

According to IFB, the hospital particularly focuses on providing healthcare services to women, children, and people with disabilities, who would otherwise have little or no access to treatment.

Jibon Tari is well-equipped with modern medical and surgical equipment. Its facilities include two operation theatres, a patient ward, digital X-ray machines, modern pathology, and accommodation for 32 full-time residential staff members -- including doctors, nurses, paramedics, and medical technologists. The floating hospital also features marine generators for uninterrupted power and a reverse osmosis plant for safe drinking water.

Besides medical and surgical services, Jibon Tari also provides capacity-building training to raise community awareness, so that rural people are left with the knowledge to seek healthcare for themselves once the vessel departs.