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107 kids diagnosed with severe anaemia from April to Aug: Govt data
According to the data, the 107 kids included 64 girls and 43 boys. Officials from the centre said that so far, 58 students have received treatment at the institute level.
At least 107 kids at government and government-aided schools, and anganwadis were diagnosed with severe anaemia between April and August this year, data from civil hospital’s district early intervention centre (DEIC) said.
According to the data, the 107 kids included 64 girls and 43 boys. Officials from the centre said that so far, 58 students have received treatment at the institute level.
According to a team member of the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) programme, the number of anaemia cases is often higher in girls.
“Families from underprivileged backgrounds tend to neglect the dietary needs of their daughters, as compared to sons. Even when it comes to treatment, fewer girls visit the institute,” the team member said. The officials quoted above went on to add that the situation is worse for girls in the menstruating age group, particularly in below poverty line (BPL) families.
The officials says that more often than not, they do not get a nutritious diet, the lack of which is among the main causes for the deficiency.
Officials rue lack of equipment
However, the officials from the team say identifying anaemia has become a challenge for the mobile teams visiting schools as they are low of the needed equipment.
The hemometer, a device used to measure hemoglobin (HB) levels, is available but the strips needed for testing are not available at all.
“Without these strips, the hemometer is useless, making it difficult to detect, and in turn treat, anaemic students,” said a medical officer.
The officer said before the Covid 19 pandemic, the strips were available at local healthcare centres, but supplies have not been replenished since.
Officials from the centre said that despite attempts to seek help from non-governmental organisations (NGOs), the high cost of the strips has made it difficult to secure support, which has hampered testing.
‘Diagnosing deficiency based ion physical symptoms’
Members of the team said they are currently diagnosing anaemia among the kids by observing physical symptoms, such as pale skin, yellow eyes or a lack of energy.
Students displaying these signs are referred to the centre for blood tests and their families are counselled on providing a healthy diet.
While iron tablets are distributed in government and aided schools, officials claimed are unsure if students are consistently consuming them.
A Government Senior Secondary School principal said, “We do not allow students to take the [iron] tablets in school because parents have raised concerns. Instead, we give the tablets to students to take home and ask them to consume them with their parents’ consent.”
On the unavailability of hemometer strips with the field teams, civil surgeon Pardeep Kumar Mohindra said, “I have taken note of the situation and will look into it.”
