GUNTUR: In order to identify specially-abled children and provide them with better medical care and education, the district officials are conducting door-to-door surveys from July 16 to 30. The Andhra Pradesh government has set up Bhavitha Kendrams in Guntur district to provide them with medical facilities.
There are 57 such centres in each mandal of the district. As many as 997 specially-abled children are getting necessary assistance in these centres.
Along with the special training, physiotherapy, speech therapy, psychological therapies are provided to the children. About 508 children, who are unable to come to the centres, are getting these services at their homes. As many as 20 psychotherapists, 58 volunteers, speech therapists and psychologists, 88 Scheme of Inclusive Education for Disabled at Secondary Stage (IEDSS) resource persons are providing their services through these centres.
Though all these services are being provided free of cost, some parents are not sending their children to these centres due to lack of awareness and various social issues. The officials will identify the specially-abled children and find out whether they are getting the proper education. If not, based on the ability of the children necessary arrangements will be made whether to send them to schools and colleges or to Bhavitha Kendrams. The officials are also making arrangements to distribute the required machinery, wheelchairs, tricycles, hearing machines to the children at the centres.
These children are also being provided with a yearly allowance of Rs 3,000 by the Andhra government. Apart from this, the specially-abled children who can’t come to the centres are being given allowances by the government. About 2,802 such children are receiving monthly allowances from the state government.
Earlier, due to the pandemic, these Bhavitha centres were closed and reopened last week.