Second Char Health Centre opens in Sirajganj to improve healthcare access

A second health facility has opened on the shifting sandbars of the Jamuna River to serve isolated communities in Sirajganj, expanding a partnership between the Philips Foundation and BRAC. The round-the-clock center will provide skilled delivery services, ultrasound diagnostics, immunization programs and telemedicine access for residents of Ghorjan, where maternal and newborn mortality exceeds national averages.

The inaugural facility in Kurigram performed 20 supervised births, delivered nearly 500 outpatient consultations and completed more than 400 ultrasound examinations during its initial six months of operation. Trained midwives will handle standard births while referring complicated cases to mainland hospitals through an established network.

Eddine Sarroukh from the Philips Foundation noted that local expertise combined with health innovation can bring quality care to vulnerable environments. Dr Imran Ahmed Chowdhury of BRAC stated the Kurigram results demonstrate that geographic barriers can be overcome, with the Sirajganj expansion narrowing healthcare equity gaps across Bangladesh’s disaster-prone regions.