Health screening, counselling at doorstep of rural poor across Karnataka

The state government has decided to take health screening, including mental health, to all the villages across the state.
Image used for representational purpose only.
Image used for representational purpose only.

BENGALURU: The state government has decided to take health screening, including mental health, to all the villages across the state. Launched under the Gram Panchayat Arogya Amrita Abhiyaana initiative, health screening will be done at work sites in villages. Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) department has issued a detailed circular in this regard.

The scheme is currently operational in over 2,800 gram panchayats in 14 districts in collaboration with Karnataka Health Promotion Trust (KHPT). Under the scheme, ASHA workers, who will be given medical kits, will visit various places in rural areas including MNREGA work sites, milk union cooperative societies, schools and work places of self-help groups where women assemble in large numbers. The target group will be tested for anaemia, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and lifestyle diseases like BP, diabetes malnutrition and mental health. The campaign will be extended to 6,000 gram panchayats across the state.

Uma Mahadevan Dasgupta, Principal Secretary, RDPR department, said the initiative was launched as a pilot projects in 14 districts last year which is being expanded. “For mental health, we have partnered with KHPT whose mental health helplines will do the initial assessment and counselling and depending on the need, the patients will be referred to the district mental health team,” she said. Uma pointed out that it is the first programme of its kind where micro-planning and organising capabilities of the gram panchayats (which they displayed during the Covid-19 pandemic) will be decentralised for carrying out health screening to the work sites of the rural poor.”

Speaking to TNIE, L K Ateeq, Additional Chief Secretary, RDPR department said the very purpose of this initiative is to reach out to every individual in rural areas and create awareness about lifestyle diseases too. Ateeq said they are involving ASHA workers who will be trained to detect and refer.

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