To provide health screening and immediate quality health services to needy special aided children from zero to 18 years, the National Child Health Programme will be started in Chhattisgarh.
In a circular issued to all district collectors, district programme officers and district woman and child development officers, the director woman and child development department has asked them to establish coordination with health department for the screening of children in this programme launched by the central Government.
According to the circular, screening of children of the age group of zero to 18 years under the National Child Health Programme should be carried out at health centres and at house level. While children from six months to six years would be screened by health department mobile team at Anganbadis, children from six to 18 years would be screened by the mobile team at Government and Government aided schools.
The circular said that under the National Rural Health Mission the health examination process of children has been strengthened and the health and family welfare department has been examining the diseases among the children. Under the programme after special health screening children will be provided necessary equipment and needy services. Screening of all children up to 18 years in all rural and urban slums will be done. All the Anganbadi workers and health workers will ensure joint house visits for the identification and marking of children, so that no needy child is deprived of health service.
According to the circular, the mobile team of health department will visit the health centres twice in a year and before the visit of the team, the anganbadi workers and health workers will ensure the presence of all the marked and identified children at the appointed place. Under the strengthening and reorganization of Integrated Child Development Programme the woman and child development department has made provision in the 2013-14 budget for 3,000 children at Rs 2,000 per children. This amount will be spent on needy service and purchase of equipment etc.
Similarly education department and social welfare department have also made provision in their budget for the handicapped children. These departments will make joint efforts to provide needy service and equipment to the children. The mobile team of health department during the visit of school will ensure health examination of all the girls of six to 18 years of age registered in the Sabala Scheme on the occasion of ‘Kishori Diwas’, being observed at Anganbadi centres.