Floating Mobile Hospitals

an innovation to improve the health of rural populations

Authors

  • Sabnam Mahmuda BHSc, MSc Global Health, McMaster University
  • Hasan Merali BA, MD, MPH, McMaster University

Abstract

Technological innovations in healthcare delivery can improve accessibility to primary healthcare services,
especially for rural populations in low and middle income countries (LMICs). This paper examines available
research and data on services provided by three Floating Mobile Hospitals (FMHs) in rural Bangladesh,
Cambodia and India to assess their impact on the health of rural populations they serve. Findings show that
FMHs provide a significant number of preventive and curative services which have important short and long
term health benefits for rural populations. Sustainability of these services results from training local health
workers, however, continuity of services provided by FMHs often relies on financial support from foreign donors.
Overall, FMHs have substantial capacity to reach marginalized rural populations and as such have remarkable
potential for improving health outcomes of rural populations.

Global Health: Annual Review, Volume 1, Issue 3 (2018) Cover Page

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Published

2018-04-05

How to Cite

Mahmuda, S., & Merali, H. (2018). Floating Mobile Hospitals: an innovation to improve the health of rural populations. Global Health: Annual Review, 1(3), 25–27. Retrieved from https://journals.mcmaster.ca/ghar/article/view/1721

Issue

Vol. 1 No. 3 (2018): Global Health: Annual Review, Issue 3

Section

Issue 3 Innovations

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