The Punjab Government issued strict instructions to all the Civil Surgeons to ensure the complete screening of students studying in Government and Government aided schools as well as children registered at Anganwadi Centres under Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK).Disclosing this here today, Minister for Health and Welfare Department Mr. Brahm Mohindra said that civil surgeons have also been instructed to issue healthcare cards to all children who are eligible to get free of cost tertiary and healthcare services under RBSK. He said that main objective of child health screening is to diagnose children up to 18 years for 4Ds-Defects at Birth, Diseases, Deficiencies and Developmental Delays including Disabilities. “Children diagnosed with illness would provide free of cost treatment including surgeries at tertiary level” he added.Giving details of screening programme, he said that dedicated RBSK’s teams visited the 18365 schools where 1914164 students screened. Similarly, these teams have also visited in Anganwadi Centres where 595734 children were screened during first visit while 540432 children were screened during the second visit.
He said that around 54499 children of schools and AWCs have availed the free of cost healthcare services who were diagnosed under screening programme during February, 2017 to December, 2017.Mr. Mohindra further said that children who were suffering from congenital heart disease (CHD) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) were being referred at DMC & CMC Hospital Ludhiana, Max Super Specialties Hospital & Fortis Hospital, S.A.S. Nagar for the tertiary healthcare services. He also said that around 416 children suffering from RHD/CHD have been successfully operated and treated at PGIMER, Chandigarh and at private empanelled hospitals. He said that 16 children suffering from Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases (PIDD) are also getting free of cost treatment from PGIMER Chandigarh.Divulging more he said that 5 District Early Intervention Centres (DEIC) have been established at the District Hospital Bathinda, Hoshiarpur, Ludhiana, Roopnagar and Tarn–Taran and soon DEIC would be established in all rest of districts to provide quick treatment and healthcare services to the children suffering from diseases in the state.He further added that Civil Surgeons, District RBSK Nodal Officers, District RBSK Coordinators and SMOs of CHC/SDH/DH have also been instructed to treat the cases of affected children on priority basis to cater best healthcare services as earliest to recover them.