BENGALURU: In an attempt to provide better care for differently abled and special children, the Health Department is working towards starting special centres at various districts in the state.
The ‘Early Intervention Centres’ will look after children who are physically disabled, visually impaired and those who suffer from Down’s syndrome and are mentally challenged.
“There will be six centres in the state and all of them will come up in medical colleges,” said a health department official.
“These centres are specialist care centres and we are starting this as a pilot project in six districts,” the official added.
The centres are coming up under the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RSBK), a Union government initiative that aims at early detection of diseases, deficiencies, disability and development delays in children from birth until 18 years of age.
Bengaluru will get two such centres at Vani Vilas Hospital and Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health. The other centres will come up in Mangaluru, Ballari, Mysuru and Hubballi.
“A team of doctors will visit anganwadis and schools regularly and refer children who need medical help,” said the official. Explaining further he said, “The centres will have physiotherapists and counsellors.”
An RSBK team will have two doctors, one staff nurse and one ophthalmic assistant who will make regular visits and examine not more than 150-200 students per day.”