A floating hospital for Goshree Islands

KOCHI: The health woes of the Goshree Islanders are about to find some relief. The island is all set to get a brand new hospital for itself. But no, none of those traditional brick and glass structures. Like the islands, the hospital will also be seen floating on the islands’ waters.The hospital will be housed on a boat some 40 metres in length. It will have medical facilities like intensive care unit, laboratories, medical store etc. It will move from island to island treating patients on its way. “The budget for the boat is estimated at Rs 65 lakh. The proposal was put forward by Minister K V Thomas. A draft proposal for the same will be submitted within a week,” District Collector P I Sheik Pareed said. The Collector also said the tender for the boat connecting Goshree Islands will be floated on July 15. The circular boat service interconnecting the islands was proposed by the Collector in February this year. It is part of the efforts to develop the Goshree Islands into a tourism hub. According to the proposal, the boat will have a capacity to accommodate 75 people. The proposal for the boat service will have to be approved by IIT Madras and the India Navy.The tender for the boat terminals in all the islands will be floated in the coming months. The location for these has been identified by the Kerala Industrial and Technical Consultancy Organisation (KITCO). “Once the work on the boat begins, it will be completed within six to eight months. We propose to complete the work on the terminals within the same time frame,” said the Collector. The other plans for the tourist hub have not been initiated yet, he said.