Bihar: Boat ambulances deliver medical aid in flood-hit Katihar

Katihar (Bihar) [India], September 14 [ANI]: The health department teams in Bihar are providing on-the-spot treatment and medicines to residents of flood-affected areas in Katihar through boat ambulances, as flood conditions continue to prevail in several parts of the district following a rise in the water levels of the Ganga, Kosi, Barandi and Kari Kosi rivers. 
According to the district administration, approximately 8,80,140 people in Katihar have been affected by the floods so far. Many villages next to the river banks still remain flooded. 
Barari Medical Officer-in-Charge Dr Md Musharraf Hussain said the area on the riverside of the embankment, stretching over several villages, gets flooded every year, but the situation was particularly severe this year.
"The area on this side of the embankment spanning several villages gets inundated every year. This year, however, the flooding is particularly severe, and many homes have been submerged," he said. 
Hussain said that since a large number of residents continued to live in the affected areas despite the flooding, health teams arranged for a boat ambulance stocked with medicines to reach them directly.
"Since people are still living there, we arranged for a boat ambulance stocked with medicines to visit their homes and check if anyone is facing any health issues," he said.
Detailing the health complaints reported during the visits, Hussain said, "We encountered many people complaining of issues like itching, fungal infections, fever, and cough, and we distributed medicines to everyone." 
The officials said such boat ambulance visits are being carried out regularly across the flood-affected areas of the district to ensure that people living there, particularly those unable or unwilling to leave their homes, continue to receive timely medical attention.
The district administration said that relief and monitoring efforts are ongoing, with health teams and other departments coordinating to address the needs of the affected population as floodwaters continue to impact large parts of Katihar. (ANI)