The early identification and treatment of disorders among children is back on track in Tirupattur, Tamil Nadu, after the pandemic-induced halt.
During the pandemic, screening under the Centre's Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) scheme of the National Health Mission (NHM) was halted due to school closures, said an official. Treatments/operations for children were postponed due to fear of infection, explained the official, adding that health workers were focused on vaccination duties.
"After September 2021, the screening process is progressing again and we're addressing the gap," Tirupattur Deputy Director of Health Services Dr Senthil told TNIE. From newborns to 18 year olds, children will be screened for four Ds: defects at birth, deficiencies, diseases and development delays.
According to the district health department, RBSK teams visited 818 government and government-aided schools from April 2021 to February 2022 at six blocks in the district, covering around 98 per cent of the target.
Around 1,021,46 children were screened at schools. Among them, 6,688 were found positive for various disorders and 4,661 were referred for treatment. Surgeries were performed for 31 children during the April 2021-February 2022 period. As many as 417 children underwent surgery from April 2015 to this February. Free treatment and surgery would be provided for the children, Dr Senthil said.
Children will be screened twice in Anganwadi centres and once in schools. If found to have a disorder, they will be referred to the District Early Intervention Center (DEIC) for treatment or surgery based on the condition.
RBSK entails...
Under the RBSK scheme, children will be screened for around 40 disorders. Congenital heart diseases, rheumatic heart diseases, cleft lip and palate, congenital cataracts, congenital deafness and neural tube disease are some of the common disorders detected during screening.
The aim of this scheme is early detection and management of diseases including deficiencies, preventing these conditions to progress to more debilitating forms and thereby, reducing hospitalisation, according to NHM.
