Rongdhonu

The Rongdhonu, formerly known as Rainbow Warrior II, will enable Friendship to bring healthcare to vulnerable and marginalized communities living along the coastal belt of Bangladesh. The floating hospital will provide primary, secondary and emergency healthcare to those who have little or no access to basic healthcare facilities.

Rongdhonu as Rainbow Warrior II

Rainbow Warrior II was a Greenpeace International vessel that has contributed greatly tohistory, through being an integral part of the organizations various campaigns, especially against whaling and nuclear testing. After 52 years at sea, with 21 years as a Greenpeace campaigning ship, Rongdhonu is taking on a new role as a hospital ship planned to serve communities living in the coastal areas of Bangladesh.

Rainbow Warrior has been bombed, impounded, rammed by government ships, raided by police, but loved by millions. She has challenged the legal system and won, she has confronted environmental crimes, relocated the population of a South Pacific Island contaminated by radiation, provided disaster relief to victims of the 2004 Tsunami in South East Asia, and sailed against whaling, war, global warming, and other environmental crimes on every ocean of the world.

Future as a Hospital Ship

The Rongdhonu will be anchored away from the shore and will be accessible to the entire coastal belt and many coastal islands. Satellite Clinics will be set up to provide primary healthcare services in those areas. A boat will be available at all times at the shore and a schedule will be maintained to transport patients to and from the ship. The area where the boats will be waiting will consist of a dispensary and makeshift waiting room (dismantled when the ship moves) for the comfort of the patients.

The Rongdhonu will make primary and secondary healthcare accessible to people living along the coastal belt of the south, in a manner similar to and from experiences learned from the Lifebuoy Friendship Hospital and Emirates Friendship Hospital.  Additionally, it will be prepared to go for emergency health services to the other coastal areas on the Bay, as and when the need arises.

The ship will be equipped with basic primary and secondary health facilities as are on the other two hospital ships of Friendship, which includes eye care, dental care, paediatric care, women healthcare, investigation services, ward services, etc.  Specialized health camps will be organized to provide secondary healthcare through which fifteen different types of surgeries will be made available including eye, dental, reconstructive, paediatric, women health, etc. A number of local and foreign specialized doctors will help in this work. Depending on the weather and water level, the hospital will move regularly to be accessible to selective communities.

Current Status

The ship arrived in Bangladesh in late August of 2011.  Currently it is in Chittagong, where renovation work has begun in the shipyard of Germanischer Llyod.  It would take a few months before the renovation, conversion of the ship into a hospital is complete, and it is eligible to sail on coastal belt.

See also

1. Lifebouoy Friendship Hospital 

2. Emirates Friendship Hospital