1,246 students given free health treatment under RBSK in Barnala

Parvesh Sharma

Tribune News Service

Barnala, February 17

Under the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK), 1,246 students of anganwadi centres and government schools in Barnala district have received free treatment from April 2018 to January 31.

Sources informed that under RBSK, the government provided free treatment for 30 diseases, including birth defects such as developmental delay, congenital heart diseases and disability or other deficiencies, to children aged between 0 and 18 years. Special teams of the Health Department have screened as many as 69,584 students of various centers and around 57,124 government and government aided schools.

“The Barnala district administration is committed to provide best health facilities to citizens. The Punjab Government has also initiated the Tandrust Punjab Mission to improve health standards of its residents and also to develop healthy, hygienic and pollution free atmosphere for the residents of the state,” said Barnala Deputy Commissioner Tej Partap Singh Phoolka.

The Deputy Commissioner said he had issued directions to the Health Department to each patient seriously.

Barnala Civil Surgeon Jugal Kishore said 34 students were found suffering from congenital heart diseases. Of them, 15 children had been operated free of cost at various hospitals.

“Children identified with other cognitive diseases have been referred to various medical colleges and hospitals in Patiala, Faridkot, Barnala, Dhanaula, Tapa and Mehal Kalan for free treatment, ” said the civil surgeon.

He said the Health Department had been administering tablets of iron-folic acid in centres and government and aided schools.

“Apart from providing the required treatment, the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram teams are also apprising students of hygiene, balanced diet and vector borne diseases,” he said.