Under the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK), a statewide health check-up drive will be conducted for over 1.5 crore children. The campaign will be inaugurated tomorrow at a grand event by Deputy Chief Minister and Pune District Guardian Minister Ajit Pawar. The initiative is being launched under the guidance of State Public Health and Family Welfare Minister Prakash Abitkar.
The programme will first be launched at Indira Gandhi Model School in Aundh, Pune, and the city will be the first to host the event. To guarantee a thorough health examination for children ages 0 to 18, including teenagers, the Public Health Department has collaborated with Child Development Services, Education Department, Tribal Development Department, and Urban Development Department.
Under this RBSK programme, more than 1.66 crore children in Maharashtra will be screened. The campaign aims to screen 14 lakh children from 6,000 educational institutions and 20 lakh children from 30,000 Anganwadi centers by the end of March.
Each child will undergo a thorough health screening, including routine clinical exams, temperature and blood pressure checks, and prompt physician referrals if necessary. Under government health programmes, infants with congenital impairments will be identified and given free medical care and surgery (RBSK & MJPJAY).
The programme will help identify and provide free treatment for conditions like anemia, eye disorders, dental issues, heart diseases, tuberculosis, leprosy and mental health disorders. All identified cases will be referred to government hospitals and healthcare centers for specialised treatment. The campaign will be conducted at various schools, including Indira Gandhi Model School, Aundh, Z.P. Primary School, Manchar (Ambegaon), Limtek (Baramati), Range Hills Secondary School, Khadki (Haveli) and NP Urdu School, Junnar.
Several prominent leaders and officials will be present at the event, including, Union Minister of State for Cooperation and Civil Aviation, Murlidhar Mohol, Rajya Sabha MP Sharad Pawar, Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule, Minister for Higher & Technical Education Chandrakant Patil, Minister for Sports, Youth Welfare, and Minority Development Dattatraya Bharne, Minister for Women & Child Development Aditi Tatkare, MLA Dilip Walse Patil, MLA Mahesh Landge, MLA Sunil Kamble, MLA Shankar Jagtap and several others.
Senior health officials, including Dr Nipun Vinayak (Public Health Secretary), Virendra Singh (Health Services Commissioner), Jitendra Dudi (Pune District Collector) and Dr Nitin Ambadekar (Director, Health Services, Mumbai) will also be present.