Keywords: Sundarbans, climate change, planetary health, endangered, salinity,
digital healthcare, healthcare, impoverished, disease burden,
vulnerable, conference, iKure, mangrove, delta.

The Unconference for Solutions was held at Tora Eco Resort, Bali II Island, Sundarbans from 23rd-25th February 2023. The panel for Track II: Impact of Climate Change on Health included Mr. Soumitra Ghosh (Chief of Party ABT Associates) was the moderator of the panel, Mr. Sujay Santra (Founder & CEO; iKure Techsoft Pvt.Ltd), Mr. Todd Huber (Founder & Chairperson; Cattellyst Foundation), Ms. Pompy Sridhar
(Director & Country HeadIndia at MSD for Mothers), Dr. Raja Dhar
(Head of Department; Pulmonology C K Birla Hospitals).
Sundarbans is one of the largest deltaic mangrove forests in the world formed by the mighty rivers Ganga, Brahmaputra and Meghna. It is spanning over an area of 4264 sq. km in India alone consisting of 102 islands of which 54 are inhabited by 4.5 million people. This unique and ever changing ecosystem of Sundarbans is facing aggression from climate change that is challenging the lives and livelihood of the inhabitants. According to reports of 2016, imbalance in the ecosystem, the total area of Sundarbans has shrunk by 451 km 2 since 1904. This has led to human-animal conflict in this ever-shrinking space causing tiger and human to be squeezed up.
The rising salinity in this region due to lack of freshwater and rising sea
levels impacts the health of the inhabitants especially the mother-child health. People living there suffer from stomach ailments related to indigestion and acidity, hypertension, dehydration, skin lesions, anemia and hypocalcemia due to lack of freshwater. Children are three times more vulnerable to communicable and pulmonary diseases keeping aside the constant attacks by animals and snake
bites of the localites who step out for their survival.
Sundarbans is a living example of imbalance in interdependence between humans and environment. Human activity has not only over-exploited the available resources but also generated immense pollution leading to immense loss of biodiversity that has led to one of the biggest threats to human survival, i.e., climate change. This
complex relationship between environmental sustainability and its impact on human health is phrased as Planetary Health.
iKure along with its co-partners Centre for Sustainable Health Innovations, Public Health Foundation of India, Cattellyst, Recanteur and several other global organizations had organised a two day event, ‘Unconference for Solutions’ in the heart of Sundarbans to look for apt solutions.
Survival is a major concern in Sundarbans hence, education and health is not given much importance in this region. Health services in the Sundarbans experience regional imbalance varying from less than one in 5 per 100,000 population. Many of the islands of Sundarbans, approximately 11 of them, are not even connected to proper roads or decent healthcare facilities. It takes almost 5 hours on an average to
reach the main town of Gosaba for a doctor check-up. There are zero tertiary care units in these islands in case of healthcare emergencies.
Lack of proper healthcare and inaccessibility of healthcare increases the disease burden of the region that in turn raises the mortality rate of the vulnerable population.
Planetary Health seeks immediate attention to safeguard the health of the planet and people of the future generation. Development of a climate resilient and environmentally sustainable healthcare system is the need of the hour for the impoverished masses of Sundarbans. This will help them to adapt to alleviate health risks related to climate changes thus reducing healthcare burden, loss of life and causalities.
Climate and social science play a synergistic role contributing to higher chances of survival of the Sundarbans. iKure is also looking at different ways by which the local communities should be pulled out of poverty mostly by empowering women from
different islands of Sundarbans towards raging issues in the field of primary health care. This would help in relieving the pressure on natural resources and promote physical and mental well-being of the inhabitants. Kumirmari, one of the endangered islands of the Sundarbans is the present intervention area of iKure.
iKure, a population health management organisation is coming up with its own living lab set-up at Baruipur that will primarily engage in preventive, promotive and curative aspects of healthcare. It will aim to develop a climate resilient digitally-enabled healthcare system for low-income communities.
An old English proverb says,“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”, iKure invites all with open arms to be a part of this transformative change. The voices of the deprived community have been left unheard and ignored for the past few centuries and it is of utmost importance to empower these inhabitants to ensure that the people and nature can strike a balance and thrive together in
Sundarbans.
iKure welcomes involvement of the local community or collaborative
ecosystems in addressing the looming crisis, making transformative
contributions in the healthcare system and developing a continuum of care for millions.

Changing the dialogue of healthcare in Sundarbans

Keywords: WHO, rights, healthcare, deprived community, poverty, Sundarbans, digital health, telehealth, conference, Unconference, unserved.

 The Unconference for Solutions held at Tora Eco Resort, Bali II Island, Sundarbans from 23rd- 25th February 2023, concluded with distinguished panelists for Track III: Health and Equity, Dr. Sanghita Bhattacharyya (Senior Public Health Specialist at PHFI) was the moderator of the panel, Ms. Priya Kakkar (Senior Public Health Scientist; Director, PHFI-RNE), Mr. Kevin Schmid (Technologist with specialization in public-sector applications), Mr. Sujay Santra (Founder & CEO; iKure Techsoft Pvt.Ltd), Prof. Yoshiro Okazaki (Ph.D Associate At Waseda University) and Prof. Suman (Former Dean R&D and Head, IIT Kharagpur). WHO quotes, “The right to the highest attainable standard of health for every individual” is an internationally agreed human rights standard. Decline in health of the deprived community is a foregone chapter. Poverty significantly impacts health and health outcomes. We should seek accessible and affordable means by which
we can sustain a healthy living. Digital health seems to have a potential to pave a way for affordable healthcare and also make healthcare more accessible for these low-income communities. iKure along with its co-partners Centre for Sustainable Health Innovations, Public Health Foundation of India, Cattellyst, Recanteur and several other global organizations had organised a two day event, ‘Unconference for Solutions’ in the heart of Sundarbans to look for solutions in terms of Digital Health and its accessibility among the unserved.
Sundarbans is marked by frequent climatic shocks and inhospitable terrain both of which lays a heavy impact on the accessibility of healthcare services. There are very few quality healthcare options in Sundarbans; the number varies from less than one in 5 per 100,000 population. Some of the existing publicly funded healthcare is non-functional due to weak infrastructure or shortage of staff. Even if some are functional, the islands of Sundarbans are not even connected to proper roads. As a result this region experiences high morbidity in comparison to the state average. The dual burden of communicable and non-communicable disease is evident among the impoverished. Children in Sundarbans suffer from chronic malnutrition and
exhibit high prevalence of communicable diseases. Sundarbans also exhibits a high prevalence of mental health problems.
Healthcare though traditionally is slow to adopt yet it is a growing and ever-changing field. Digital Health has improved the healthcare delivery and outcomes, it has also altered the healthcare industry as a whole.
Telehealth plays a significant role in delivering proper healthcare in remote areas. Sundarbans is one such area, that is spanning over 4264 sq. km in India alone consisting of 102 islands of which 54 are inhabited by 4.5 million people. People inhabiting the remote islands face much hardship in comparison to the ones who
inhabit the peripheries. People of Sundarbans are exposed to poverty, deprivation and acute struggle against geographical challenges.
“Healthy citizens are the greatest asset any country can have, aptly stated by Winston Churchill. iKure is looking at different ways to take the first initiative in shaping a better tomorrow for the deprived community.
Digital Health would reduce dependency of patients on physical doctor consultation and promote timely prognosis of the disease providing sustainable patient health outcomes. Through the Digital Health and Equity panel, the focus was on building innovations with a top-down, bottom-up approach to empower communities digitally in an equitable way and digital technology contributing to sustainable attainment of
universal health coverage for the ones who need it most.
iKure invites all with open arms to join in the mission of developing health solutions that can bring accessible and sustainable care for the communities.

Keywords: Sundarban, women, conference, gender discrimination, healthcare, quack
doctors, women empowerment, equity. 

Unconference for Solutions was looking at different ways by which women from different Islands of Sundarbans could be
empowered to make strong contributions
towards the Raging Issues in the field of
Primary Healthcare by providing solutions.
This two day event at Tora Eco Resort, Bali II Island, Sundarbans was held
from 23rd-25th February 2023. Track I: Women as agents of change was
moderated by Dr. Tirumala S. Mandal (AVP Research &
Communications; iKure Techsoft Pvt.Ltd) and other eminent panelists
included Ms. Pompy Sridhar (Director & Country HeadIndia at MSD for
Mothers), Dr. Debashis Bhattacharya (Mentor And Advisor iKure
Techsoft Pvt.Ltd), Ms. Paramita Banerjee (Ashoka Fellow Child Rights
Activist Founding Member of Diksha), Ms. Pritha Chakraborty
(Filmmaker & Founder of Recanteur Media).
Environmental challenges in the Sundarbans have impacted
socio-economically and environmentally, making the society in this
vulnerable community highly disorganized. Needless to state that
gender discrimination is common among these vulnerable
communities. A patrilineal and patriarchal culture is shaping the lives of
women living here. Women in Sundarbans face a host of challenges like
hard physical labour, limited or no income and wealth, power. They are
underrepresented in decision and policy making. They experience poor
social status, violence and intimidation. Extreme poverty, poor
sanitation and housing, lack of potable water, limited access to health
care adds on to their misery. Their educational status and literacy rate is
also low.
The healthcare gap worldwide impacts the indigent population, the
women and girls are the ones who bear the brunt of inequalities.
Sundarban region of India is a living example of this looming adversity.
According to a 2016 study, the impoverished in the Sundarbans lack
choices in healthcare. The publicly funded facilities are non-functional or
non-existent and the available functional facilities are mostly physically
inaccessible. This gap is often filled by quack doctors that might
increase the disease burden in this region. It was observed in a study in
2010, among the people living in Sundarbans aged between 15-59,
women disproportionately have a higher burden of disease in
comparison to men. Climate variability thwacks women more than
men in this vulnerable community.
In the looming crisis of climate changes and calamities, women are the
key agents and active responders in early adaptation and mitigation
for healthcare equity, access and climate crisis. Thus, women prove
themselves as entrepreneurs even in hostile environments, with their
dogged determination and resilience. Women as an agent of change
can bring transformative change at a grassroot level. It provides a
platform for them to voice their opinion and showcase their potential
as well. Financial empowerment of women would ensure an
environment of survival with justice and equity.
As aptly quoted by Mahatma Gandhi, “It is health that is real wealth
and not pieces of gold and silver,” let us join hands to shape a better
tomorrow for this vulnerable community. High self-assurance, social
recognition, changed roles are a significant indicator of women
empowerment that would aid in implementation of women as a
transformative change agent in primary healthcare. Women
constitute half of the population, but stories about women, for women,
and by the women are far and scarce.
iKure at the two day event, ‘Unconference for Solutions’ received
ideas and innovations on women as change agents that included
mobilizing microfinancing schemes to women’s rights for sexual
reproductive health and empowering women to demand quality care,
and understand what quality care is, in a way that can shape the
overall health systems.
iKure is open to any assistance via collaborative ecosystems,
integration of local actions to implement potential solutions that can
bring a transformative, inclusive, and disruptive approach involving
women as agents of change in the last-mile communities.

Preface: I was given a rather daunting task by one of my acquaintances to put down some tips on good health for general information to my fellow crowd and beyond to humanity at large. Naturally it was difficult to decide where to start from, since the target readers may be from all strata and communities of our society and of all age groups.

But let me begin somewhere….

In the beginning, I would like to put some very general lifestyle habits which should be followed by all people for general good health to one and all. Many of what I am about to unfold are known to public, but some new concepts will also he hereby known-to undo any faulty /wrong habits which the reader may have inculcated, inadvertently.

Let me suggest a listing of never do’s & don’ts:

Never to skip your Breakfast in the morning. This is the most important meal of the day.

1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. You may skip your lunch/take a light lunch.
                  2. Never take a heavy dinner moreover with lots of spicy and oily food. Night is the time of metabolic house-cleaning. The less the task assigned to the body in the form of digestion and metabolism at night, the better the body gets self-cleansed and detoxified by the next day.
                  3. Drink at least l0 glasses of water in a day. Maybe more in the hotter regions.
                  4. Soft drinks are real nuisance consumables with lots of empty calories. They are never to be considered for replenishing the fluid content of the body.( I have found hardly anybody drinking water along with any food-it is invariably a soft drink to go along !!!)
                  5. If milk is tolerated, one can go for it, it helps one to go off to sleep. But it should be avoided by people who are trying to get into shape and lose some weight! Dairy products in general are fattening with the exception of some skimmed milk, etc. All the same, rnilk is regarded as one of the compact forms of nutrition…for calcium supplementation .
                  6. Eggs are nutritionally recommended for calcium/protein etc. and they do not contribute to high Cholesterol, unless one is predisposed to high lipids in the blood.. (as per recent research). The no. of eggs should be restricted to 1-4 in a week! Not to forget that eggs go into the making of a lot of confectionery products as well, at home. This should also be considered.
                  7. Red Meat/Meat of bigger animals should be avoided at all cost. Mutton maybe very delicious to the taste buds and a gratification to cook at home and places of formal eating, but it is a strict no-no as far as good health is concerned. Its fibers arc very much loaded with fats.
                  8. Country chicken is always better-they run around a lot and their flesh is tastier as well than poultry bred chicken!!! Chicken should always be taken with the skin removed preferably before cooking. Ideally eggs of such country chicken are good to taste and good for health also. Duck’s Eggs are tastier but rich in Cholesterol!
                     Recently the eggs of Quail birds are available locally too.
                  9. Green vegetables and at least one serving of fruits should be present in the platters of all meals. Bananas are good in conditions of constipation/diarrhea but they are fattening as well as they contain a lot of calories. ( Bananas are an item with high GI –Glycaemic Index–They can be taken in moderation from time to time. People suffering from ‘Acid Peptic Disorders’ should refrain from Oranges and all sour fruits.
                  10. Dry fruits – recommended best ones are Almonds and Walnuts. Cashew nuts although are common and tasty, they are rich in lipids. Peanuts are very good as well.
                  11. Chocolates in general should be taken occasionally-but the darker ones with cocoa are said to be now good for heart, as per recent research, although in moderation .Teeth must be brushed at all times after ingesting chocolates to avoid Dental Caries and related conditions by people of all ages, more so children.
                  12. Microwave Cooking is to be discouraged-as it robs the food element of their nutritious values! Microwave ovens can best be used as Food Warmers.
                  13. The pattern of eating should ideally be when you leave the dining table you feel as if you could have eaten some more………..!!!
                  14. Brown Bread is better than White Bread. But Breads again should be taken in moderation, to keep a check on carbs.
                  15. Visits to places like McDonald’s and KFC should be avoided in principle, particularly if children are there in the family. Deep fried junk food is just not advisable for good health for persons in any age group-particularly kids and adolescents.
                  16. Not to hit the bed immediately after lunch/dinner. It is better to sit upright for about half an hour (watching TV can be done) before one retires tor the day. This prevents conditions of Reflux Oesophagitis/ Heartburn/Waterbrash etc. which are very common. One should not stoop down to do anything just after main meals!
                  17. It is better to avoid eating in between principal meals-as this distorts the real appetite and calories cannot be controlled.
                  18. Given the option between Tea and Coffee – it is better to go for Tea. Due to its Tannin content, it acts as a good anti-oxidant. (An anti-oxidant is a substance which mops up the potential carcinogenic radicals in the human body.)
                  19. Salad dressing/salted preservative added food/fruit Cocktails/ Creamy pastries/ Pudding/ concentrated Kheer products/ Cheese/Butter/ Non-skimmed milk are better avoided.

Few topics relevant to people with certain known disease conditions:

Persons known to have Renal/Ureteric Stores should refrain from eating tomato/related products. A lot of water should be consumed daily.

1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. Persons known to have Diabetes/with father or mother a known diabetic, should maintain a vigilant Diet Chart at home and also, as much as possible outside home. Everything can be taken but in moderation, depending on one’s body weight. What matters is the daily calorie consumption in the guidance of a Dietician or a Doctor.
                  2. People with Diabetes should ‘keep their feet as clean as their face’. It is a very well believed saying, respected by Doctors and well educated patients alike. Diabetics are very prone to develop foot ulcers which do not show a tendency to heal can cause big problems to the patient and Doctors and many people have ended up losing their limbs (by amputation) simply arising out of sheer neglect of themselves and their Physician’s advice !!!
                     A word of caution here – today children are also diagnosed to suffer from Diabetes simply out of leading an erratic life style!!!
                  3. Elderly people with Diabetes for many years are typically prone to have some of the following. So their care takers should be aware of them:
                     1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. Silent Heart Attacks – which has a high mortality;
                                       2. Sudden Strokes ending up with paralysis of different grades;
                                       3. Sudden infective episodes inside their system requiring urgent Surgery;
                                       4. Sudden/Early Blindness arising out of a process called Retinopathy…even Cataracts;
                                       5. Damage of Kidneys-causing renal failure and heading for dialysis etc. which are very expensive, even by Indian standards and the outcome is always grim;
                  4. People with Hypertension (High blood pressure) should try to lead a stress free life, with regular checkup of BP) and medication from Doctors. Long standing improperly treated Hypertension can also lead to damage of Eyes/Kidneys/Heart etc. excess salt on the dining table to be avoided, salt may be used, albeit sparingly in the kitchen.
                     ( Less than 5-6 gms a day)
                  5. Persons suffering from both ‘Diabetes and ‘Hypertension’ need to be doubly cautious with respect to their day to day life, follow-up with Doctors, dietary habits and medications. All the potential complications of these silent killers get multiplied in such people, but with regular supervision from medical personnel they can lead very compatible normal lives.
                  6. Persons known to suffer from a condition called as “Gout” need to have a real look into their diet and consult Doctors when they have episodes of acute pain in joints etc. This is usually due to a genetically inherited metabolic deficiency of an Enzyme, which takes part in Purine metabolism in the body. Simple analgesics after seeing a Doctor may be tried and usually the attacks subside within a few days, in some cases other medication are required and even to go on for life in resistant chronic cases. Beer is to be strictly avoided in such patients and Red Meat and certain leafy vegetables too, should be avoided from their Diet.

I think this has been a synopsis of handy health tips- which all good samaritans of this country need to know-.in order to lead a healthy life here . I have chosen this simplistic approach, as it is easy to be followed by lay persons, avoiding complicated terminology which might intimidate the readers and will defeat the purpose. The List is exhaustive and it goes on and on! It is only a humble effort to pick up a glass full of knowledge from an Ocean of the same . Parents should be rather strict on their children on many such issues. Working men and women must take care of themselves in an adequate manner as hinted above . Elderly people must be closely taken care of by their sons/daughters and taken to visit Doctors if something sinister really comes up with them.
Good Luck and Good Health to all my brethren & friends – young and old.