Drive to ensure health of women, kids at brick-kilns

Ravinder Saini

Tribune News Service

Jhajjar, February 14

The district health authority has launched a special campaign to ensure the health of women and children at brick-kilns here.

A mobile medical unit (MMU) comprising staff nurse, pharmacist, ANM worker and lab technician has been set up to carry out the campaign effectively in Jhajjar district which has more than 400 brick-kilns.

“The campaign aims at keeping migrant labourers working at kilns and their children residing there healthy by providing them medical aid at regular interval. Under the campaign, vaccination of children up to the age of two years will be ensured, besides regular check-up of expectant women,” said Dr Vineet Yadav, Deputy Civil Surgeon.

He said the mobile medical unit would visit three brick-kilns in the district on a daily basis.

“As per an estimate, over 10,000 women and children are residing at brick-kilns in the district. Earlier, the mobile medical unit used to provide medical aid to pregnant women and children in rural areas, but now it has been roped in to keep migrant labourers fit by visiting the kilns,” said Yadav,

He said eight vaccinations were essential for children up to the age of two years to protect them from various diseases but their parents hardly bother about it due to the lack of knowledge, hence the mobile medical unit would make them aware about child healthcare.

He said the authorities were also mulling raising the numbers of mobile medical unit to run the campaign simultaneously at industrial units too. A meeting of the representatives of Reliance, Denso, Panasonic, NTPC and JK Cement had been called on February 16 to associate them with the campaign. The companies would be asked to provide monetary aid for the campaign to fulfil its social responsibility, he added.