The World Health Organization (WHO) has honoured Ernakulam’s Bandhu Clinic as one of the top 140 global models promoting refugee and migrant health. This recognition highlights the clinic’s vital role in providing accessible healthcare to thousands of migrant workers in Kerala. Notably, Bandhu Clinic is one of only two Indian clinics featured in the WHO list.
Launched to ensure affordable and timely primary healthcare for migrant workers, Bandhu Clinic is a mobile health unit that travels to labour camps, fish processing hubs, and other locations where inter-state migrants live and work. Its success has been especially evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the clinic provided health screenings and vaccinations to some of the most at-risk communities.
Benoy Peter, Director of the Centre for Migration and Inclusive Development (CMID)—the organization behind the project—explained that the initiative began by mapping out residential areas where migrant workers live. The clinic then began making regular visits to ensure that vulnerable groups such as brick kiln workers, migrant fishers, women in fish processing, nomadic communities, and footloose labourers received consistent and quality care.
The mobile clinics operate weekly, fortnightly, and monthly depending on the area, with two units currently serving Ernakulam district. One unit alone reaches nearly 40,000 migrants and provides around 15,000 treatments per year—at an impressive operational cost of just ₹250 per treatment.
Officials from CMID and the National Health Mission (NHM) said the WHO recognition is a testament to the project’s impact and scalability. Plans are already in motion to expand the number of Bandhu Clinics in the district to ensure even broader coverage.