It's not yet seven o'clock, the sun is just rising and the Irrawaddy River is still shrouded in mist. Despite the early morning hours, the air is already warm in this remote Burmese village. A small crowd of people of all ages are already sitting on the banks, gazing spellbound at the river. More and more are arriving: elderly ladies and gentlemen, mothers with their children, young men and women. They are all waiting for the 'Polli' or the "MS Fortuna" - the floating clinics of the Irrawaddy River Doctor(we reported) and the Swimming Doctors, which visit remote villages in the delta every month.
The people waiting have very different concerns: an old man complains of severe back pain, a mother reports that her daughter has persistent stomach cramps and a young woman with a large wound on her left foot sits next to a man who is visibly suffering from toothache.
The ship is the patients' only hope of alleviating their suffering, as the nearest doctor or clinic is far too far away and would be too expensive for most of them. The medical ships operated by Artemed Stiftung are crewed by doctors from a wide variety of fields who treat the illnesses of the many people on board Tag for Tag . It makes no difference to them whether they are dealing with chronic problems, acute ailments or preventive measures; of course, age and gender are also irrelevant: the sole aim is to offer medical help to the population who otherwise have little or no access to healthcare. "Health for all" - as formulated as a WHO goal.
The ship slowly approaches and docks. The people, now numbering around fifty, line up neatly and wait to be invited on board. Every sick person is looked at and listened to. The team endeavors to respond to all complaints and help everyone as best they can. After successful treatment, the patients disembark and make their way home. The medical team itself is busy for many hours and only finishes its work late in the evening - exhausted, but also happy to have relieved pain and given hope to so many people.
"Health for all": with this in mind, we would like to conclude this year's series "The WHO goals". Stay tuned to see which topics we will be addressing in 2025.
