Farmers’ Health Service

 The heart of our agriculture is our peasants- male and female; whose day-long hard labour is the main regulator of our crop production. While bending the body for the entire day in most unhygienic environment and keeping far away the contemplation on food and thirst, they just have to live by the agricultural work. We make our habits, and then our habits make us. Engraving this thought at the core of the heart, a child from a farmers’ family has to involve him/herself with the farming from the early childhood. Till the least energy remaining in the body up to the old age, their lives run in chorus with soil and crop. Among all these, many water-borne diseases occur; gastric takes shape due to food-scarcity and while working with the pesticide at the arable fields, devoid of any protecting mask, they get affected with asthma- this has become an unwanted destiny of health problem for the rural marginal community. At one end, due to the hectic rapidity of work to produce crops and due to financial instability they can’t visit the urban doctors at their will, and on the other, they can’t just do the right thing, regarding the cure of the actual disease. At this point of problem, to them, the health service needs to be reached. This programme of “Farmers’ Health Service” has always been a long-awaited dream for the Hridoye Mati O Manush team.

This was the pre-determined concept of Shykh Seraj, regarding fulfilling the primary demands of the farmers. And, in accomplishing that target Hridoye Mati O Manush Team and Japan Bangladesh Friendship Hospital came into an accord to deliver health service to the farmers. This was the very first time that a television programme unit stood beside the farmers with the assistance of a hospital.

From the last 20th January, 2008, this health service journey started in Southern Sadar’s Oli Bazaar Primary School of Comilla district, in the morning, under joint co-ordination and management of Japan Bangladesh Friendship Hospital and Channel-i’s Hridoye Mati O Manush Team. The objective: Health Service for the local, poor male and female farmers and the children. With Polio Immunization for the children each and every health service programme starts and that is the trademark start for the health service programme. Naturally, a government school premise is used for this kind of service and Saturday is the chosen day for the health service agenda as on this day, the government schools remain closed. Till the last 8^th March, 2008, Hridoye Mati O Manush and Japan Bangladesh Friendship Hospital have been visiting various districts. Notably, the last district was Chandpur. So far, 20,000 farmer-patients were provided primary health service. And, in total, 8 districts were covered. More importantly, the DC and the local reputed representatives of each visited district were present. More districts and patients will be under the Farmers’ Health Service coverage as this is a weekly programme.

Most of the patients had back pain and asthma due to their regular activities in the field. Back pain as the farmers had to bend their body to work on the field and the reason for asthma is as the farmers work with pesticide on the field they don’t feel necessary to keep a mask over their face, without having any knowledge on how badly they are getting affected.

This is Shykh Seraj’s unique concept that has been very much effective as other medical institutions are coming forward to stay beside this humanitarian cause; Incepta Pharmaceuticals Ltd. has been providing free medicine for the farmers from the very beginning of this programme. And, also Hridoye Mati O Manush team has been receiving so many requests from other hospitals and medical institutions- they are willing to put their effort for the health service of the farmers. This is really a tremendous awareness that has been spread all over the country which is really an optimistic sign. This venture is really promising. Hridoye Mati O Manush and Japan Bangladesh Friendship Hospital will move onward with this project with new and innovative ideas, regarding the health service for the farmers in the future.