Haryana Government has expanded the scope of better health services for children of the State by implementing Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram which initially was launched in three districts of Ambala, Karnal and Panchkula in July 2013 and now it has been started in all the districts.
Health Minister, Rao Narender Singh said that a similar program by the name of Indira Bal Swasthya Yojna (IBSY) was being run in Haryana since 2010. It will now be renamed as Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram and will be implemented in Haryana on the guidelines of Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) as launched by UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi in February 2013.
The RBSK is a Child Health Screening and early intervention services programme to provide comprehensive care including free of cost treatment (surgical as well as medical) to all the children from their birth to 18 years of age registered in Anganwadi Centres, Govt & Govt Aided Schools of Haryana for birth defects, diseases, deficiencies, developmental delays including disability.
The minister said that dedicated mobile teams, each comprising of male and female doctors of AYUSH, one pharmacist and one ANM are functional to screen the children in Anganwadi Centres, Government and Government aided school. They cover the children in the age groups of six weeks to six years and six to eighteen years.
This program also provides the facility based newborn screening at public health facilities by existing health functionaries. Also, it aims at providing community based newborn screening at home through Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) for newborn up to six weeks of age during home visits.
He said that identified children are referred at Government health facilities. He said that since inception of the program till financial year 2013-14, as many as 190 children were given financial aid of Rs 2.3 crore for treatment of various health problems in the approved Government institutes of PGIMS, Rohtak and PGIMER, Chandigarh, GMCH Sector 32, Chandigarh and AIIMS, New Delhi. From the FY 2010 to November 2013, 61 children have received treatment at these tertiary level centres.