Kendrapada: In a major boost to emergency healthcare in Kendrapada’s remote riverine belt, Odisha govt on Friday launched a boat-based ambulance service for residents of Batighar island in Mahakalapada block.Integrated with the 108 emergency response service, the ambulance will serve nearly 15,000 residents of Badatubi, Sanatubi, Barakolikhola, Batighar and Nipania villages under Batighar gram panchayat. The vehicle will be ferried across the Nasi river on a dedicated boat, enabling patients to be transported swiftly to the mainland during medical emergencies.Chief district medical officer (CDMO) Anita Patnaik said the ambulance was procured from Prasanthi Balmandir Trust, Chikkaballapur, Karnataka, and is equipped with essential medical facilities. A dedicated boat will remain available round-the-clock to ferry the ambulance and patients to the community health centre (CHC) at Mahakalapada and the district headquarters hospital in Kendrapada, she said.Patnaik said island residents have traditionally depended on passenger boats, which are often unavailable at night, severely limiting access to timely healthcare during emergencies.Batighar sarpanch Sibani Bijuli said inadequate transport connectivity, poor infrastructure and shortage of healthcare personnel have affected medical services on the island. Many villagers, she said, have been forced to rely on unqualified practitioners, while pregnant women and critically ill patients often face delays in reaching hospitals.“For years, patients had to be carried on makeshift stretchers, locally known as doli, to the nearest health centres. The ambulance service will significantly ease their hardship and improve access to emergency care,” she said.Arjun Mandal (75) of Batighar village said the service would spare patients the ordeal of being carried long distances before receiving treatment.While welcoming the initiative, residents said it was only a stop-gap arrangement and renewed their demand for a 200-metre bridge over the Nasi river linking Batighar gram panchayat with Kharinashi village on the mainland.“We have been voting with the hope that a bridge would be built, but nothing has happened. We continue to struggle with basic connectivity,” said Krushnapada Mandal, panchayat samiti member of Batighar gram panchayat.
The boat ambulance
The boat ambulance