Baba, Bhit, Shams Pir in need of healthcare facilities

People rushing a suffering loved one to the nearest hospital hope to reach the facility as soon as possible in order to avoid any unforeseen complications on the way yet for locals in the isolated islands of Baba, Bhit and Shams Pir, who have to routinely escort their labouring wives and dying relatives across a kilometre long stretch of sea for accessing medical help in the city, the delicate moment of welcoming new life and bidding farewell to the old could emerge during a bumpy ferry ride.

Baba, Bhit and Shams Pir, the 300 year old ancient islands lying a 30 minute ferry ride away from the coast of Karachi, are home to a population of almost 50,000 indigenous locals, who predominantly rely on marine fisheries for maintaining their day to day livelihood. Despite the allocation of Rs650 million by the Health Department of Sindh for the provision of public healthcare, medical staff and medicinal drugs remain short in the triplet islands, which till date have no hospitals, maternity clinics, or X-ray and lab facilities for providing relief to locals requiring urgent medical help.

"If a woman is in labour, she has to first get on a boat to reach the jetty. From there on, the jetty takes her to the shore, where a private ride has to be booked before she can finally reach the hospital in time for childbirth. The total journey costs us Rs1000 to Rs1500," revealed Wahida.

The same arduous journey awaits critically-ill patients like Umar Kachhi's uncle, who had to be rushed to a hospital after he complained of continuous chest pain. "Since there are no emergency facilities on Bhit Island during the evening and night hours, we had to take a jetty and ambulance in order to reach the Civil Hospital, where my uncle was given urgent medical aid. We are human too. The government should have mercy on us and provide medical facilities in these islands," lamented Umar.

According to Jabar Kachhi, a social leader, the biggest tragedy plaguing the Baba, Bhit and Shams Pir islands was the sheer absence of connective infrastructure which could link the three islands to the city through sea bridges. "Unfortunately, the boat is the only mode of accessing the city. Whether a person is sick or having a baby, the boat is their only respite. The reliance on boats is amplified by the lack of healthcare facilities in the islands, which till date suffer from electricity load-shedding, gas shortages, inadequate freshwater facilities, and poor sanitation," alerted Jabir.

Concurring with Jabir on the challenges of survival in the three islands, Hassan Bhatti, another social leader informed that the lack of fundamental utilities had forced the impoverished locals to invest in costly alternatives, which were sold at exorbitant prices in the islands. "LPG cylinders which are used for cooking, cost Rs10 to Rs20 more in these areas than in Karachi. The food items here are also 20 per cent more expensive than in the city because heavy vehicles and jetties are rented for transporting these items from the market to the islands. Similarly, due to the non-availability of drinking water, fresh water is brought to the islands by boats and the water suppliers sell it for Rs40 per can and Rs150 to Rs200 per 200-litre drum," bemoaned Bhatti.

Sympathising with the plight of locals, Asif Muhammad Khan, a representative of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and member of the Sindh Assembly said, "I am sending proposals to the Chief Minister of Sindh for establishing a 100-bed hospital in these islands, providing drinking water facilities and connecting them with the city through sea bridges," claimed Khan.

"The government is also hoping to construct a midwife's clinic in the three islands," added District Health Officer of Kemari Town, Dr. Arif, who maintained that one dispensary each was functional in the Baba and Bhit Islands.

"Various projects on education, health and drinking water are in the pipeline for the Baba, Bhit and Shams Pir Islands," said the Sindh Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani, while speaking to the Express Tribune.