Kangra administration directs officials to hold health sessions in schools

The district administration of Kangra has issued instructions to officials of the Health and Education departments to organise at least four sessions in a month on health and wellness for students in all schools of the district.

Issuing the directions, Kangra ADC Vinay Jumar said they should have at least four sessions on health and wellness in each school and a report card of the health of the students should be prepared. This would help provide treatment to the children showing initial symptoms of any disease. The directions were issued to the Chief Medical Officer and HOD of Tanda Medical College to provide treatment to the patients on priority at all government hospitals and the medical college under the National Child Health Programme. Under the National Child Health Programme, children between the age of 0 and 19 were provided free diagnosis and treatment for 30 identified diseases, he said.

The ADC said under this programme, 19 Nai Disha Centres had been started by the Health Department in the district, in which counselling and clinical services were being provided to adolescents. Trained staff was available at these centres to provide the services. Children should be made aware about the programme so that they could take advantage of the facility, he said.

Directions were issued to the Education Department officials to prepare data of teachers trained under the programme. All teachers of science subject should be trained as health and wellness ambassadors. The department should also prepare data of untrained teachers and everyone should be trained in a phased manner to become health and wellness ambassadors. He further said suggestion boxes should be installed in every school for all children from classes VI to XII. If children had any doubt or suggestion, they could submit it in the box.

District Program Officer Anuradha said every month, Health and Wellness Day was celebrated in schools at the block level, under which information was provided to children on various health-related issues.