6 lakh working people in Sundarbans need hospital

Prof. ABM Mosharraf Husain, Bagerhat :

Some five to six lakh people depend directly on Sundrbans, the biggest mangrove forest of the world, for their livelihood, according to ESCAP (Economic and Social Commission for Asian and Pacific) survey. These people are mainly Bawalies (wood and Gol-leaves cutters), Mawals (honey collectors) and fishermen.
But no hospital was constructed so far in the forest of Sundarbans for the treatment of those people, though it is longstanding demand of them. A project was undertaken by the government long 30/35 years ago to construct 3 (three) hospitals in Sundarbans forest (which is now divided into two Divisions-the Eastern and the Western) for the treatment of the working people of the forest. But unfortunately no step was taken so far by any quarter to implement the project. As a result, a number of working people die in the forest every year without any treatment.
Six lakh people work in Sundarban forest measuring 6017 squire kilometers (according to a survey done by UNDP and FAO in 1979) through the year for earning their livelihood. 80 per cent of them are Bawalis, Mawals and Jeles who collect forest resources from Sundarbans risking their lives.
Government earns at leastTk.10/12 crore as revenue from the different sectors (like dry fish, other fishes, honey, wax, Gol-leaves, tourism etc.) every year. But the demand for the construction of hospitals or medical centers in the forest for the treatment of those who are playing and important role in earning the government revenue are still neglected.
Bawalis (wood and Gol-leaves cutters), Mawals (honey and wax collectors) and Jeles (fishermen) go there in search of livelihood, enter the forest after procuring the permits from the forest (against schedule fees) and while they stay in the forest for consecutive several days for collecting the forest resources a number of them become the victims of Royal Bengal tigers, crocodiles, poisonous snakes, pythons, beers and other ferocious wild animals jungle pirates and natural calamities.
Besides, when they are attacked with various diseases and fall ill for want of pure drinking water they are to rush to the distant human habitations for their treatment. But it takes long time to reach to the destinations from the deep forest for getting treatment and consequently, many of them die on their way.
It is recorded in the forest offices that more than two hundred working people (Bawalis, Mawals and fishermen) died to the attack of wild and ferocious animals, jungle pirates, snake bites, various diseases and cyclonic storms during the last more than one decade. But according to non-official reports, the causalities are more than that.
It may be mentioned here that considering the contributions of working people (Mawals, Bawalis and fishermen) to the government revenue a scheme was taken by the then government to construct three 10-bed hospitals in the adjacent places of the forest in the year of 1963.