Jammu and Kashmir is all set to become the first state in North India to implement Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) - Child Health Screening and Early Intervention Services – in all the districts under National Rural Health Mission (NRHM).The implementation process of the scheme was reviewed today by the Minister of State (Independent) Health and Family Welfare, Mr. Shabir Ahmed Khan.Addressing the meeting, the Minister said that RBSK is a new initiative undertaken by the Union Health Ministry and is aimed at screening children from 0 to 18 years for 4 Ds - defects at birth, diseases, deficiencies and development delays including disabilities. Children diagnosed with illnesses shall receive follow up including surgeries at tertiary level, free of cost under NRHM, he said.
The Minister said that the Union Health Minister Mr. Ghulam Nabi Azad has been requested to launch the scheme formally in Jammu and Kashmir. “We must ensure that the implementation process is completed as per the deadline set by the department so that the programme is launched as per the schedule”, the minister directed the concerned officers.He said that the Union Minister has been personally monitoring all the revolutionary schemes launched under health sector by the Congress led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in the center. “It is the efforts and personal intervention of Mr. Ghualm Nabi Azad that Jammu and Kashmir is among few and the only state in North India to be in a position to implement the scheme in all the districts. The Union Minister is keen to ensure that the benefit reaches to the needy people across the state and in this direction we have been ensured all possible financial help”, he said.
Expressing gratitude to the union minister, Mr. Khan said that the health sector in Jammu and Kashmir has entered into a new phase of revolution and it is the endure of the coalition government in the state to ensure healthcare facilities at the doorstep of not only the urban but even to the population living in the rural and inaccessible areas.The meeting was informed that the District Health Societies across the state have already taken up the process to implement the scheme in their respective districts. In this regard almost all the District Societies have set the recruitment process in motion and same is expected to be completed by mid of this month.It was further told that under the new initiative a total of 773 posts, including Pediatricians, MBBS and AYUSH doctors, have been sanctioned and the state government has already received the funds from the Centre.The scheme will be implemented through dedicated mobile health teams placed in every medical block of the state. The teams will carry out screening of all children in the pre-school age enrolled at Anganwadi centres at least twice a year besides screening of all children studying in Government and Government aided schools, whereas the newborns will be screened for birth defects in health facilities by service providers and during the home visits by ASHAs.
District Early Intervention Centres are being set up as first referral point for further investigation, treatment and management, he said adding that the tertiary care centre would be roped in for management of complicated cases requiring high-end medical care and treatment.