VIJAYAWADA: Under the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK), medical health authorities have conducted free health screenings for 27.54 lakh children across the state over the past three months.
The health initiative targets children below the age of 18 in Anganwadi centres, government schools, and government-aided schools. With the government setting a target to examine a total of 53,66,466 children, the screening program, which commenced last July through health personnel, has completed 51.32% of its total objective so far.
Among those screened, confirmatory examinations were conducted by medical officers on 9,32,352 children, leading to the identification of 27,039 children with specific health defects and medical issues who are currently receiving specialised treatment in major hospitals.
Additionally, 541 children have successfully undergone various surgical procedures. The program screens for a total of 38 distinct health conditions categorised into congenital anomalies, diseases, nutritional deficiencies, and developmental delays or disabilities.
Reviewing the implementation of the program on Thursday, Health Secretary G. Veerapandian held a high-level review meeting with Health and Family Welfare Commissioner K.V.N. Chakradhar Babu and other senior officials.
During the review, the Health Secretary directed officials to accelerate the screening process and ensure that all remaining health checks across the state are completed by December.
The screenings documented thousands of cases across major medical classifications. Congenital defects identified include 455 neural tube defects, 243 Down syndrome cases, 153 cleft lips and palates, 142 clubfoot cases, 126 congenital heart diseases, 102 hip dysplasia issues, 83 cataracts, 62 hearing impairments, 33 retinopathy of prematurity cases, and 8 renal/urinary tract anomalies.
Nutritional deficiencies and common diseases recorded include 5,320 cases of rheumatic heart disease, 5,122 skin conditions, 3,673 vitamin A deficiencies, 1,847 vitamin D deficiencies, 1,494 respiratory illnesses, 1,141 dental problems, 1,037 epilepsy cases, 715 severe acute malnutrition cases, 650 anemia cases, 568 diabetes cases, 338 goiter cases, 311 hypertension cases, 69 ear infections, 31 kidney disease cases, 12 tuberculosis cases, and 9 leprosy cases.
Additionally, developmental, neurological, and behavioral challenges include 413 hearing disabilities and 246 motor-nerve movement issues.