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Ludhiana: 52 schoolkids diagnosed with heart ailment this year: Dist centre
At least 52 students from government and government-aided schools, and anganwadi centres have been diagnosed with congenital heart disease till August this year, officials from District Early Intervention Centre (DEIC) said.
At least 52 students from government and government-aided schools, and anganwadi centres have been diagnosed with congenital heart disease till August this year, officials from District Early Intervention Centre (DEIC) said.
Of these, 21 have been successfully operated upon free-of-cost and others have also been referred for free surgeries under the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK).
According to the officials, the increase in cases is partly because there was no RBSK team a decade ago to carry out health drives and diagnose ailments.
They said that the major reasons for the disease included genetic issues, poor nutrition among pregnant women and hormonal imbalances.
Dr Arundeep, the medical officer in-charge of school health schemes at DEIC at civil hospital, said not all diagnosed children require surgery and some are treated with medication.
She reassured that the risk of death is extremely low if surgery is done in time. She said the process is funded by the state government.
The screenings are done once a year in schools and twice a year at anganwadi centres.
The officials, however, claimed that a staff shortage is hampering the programme. The screening team typically consists of two ayurvedic medical officers, a doctor, a staff nurse and a pharmacist.
They said the teams currently deployed are incomplete due to staff shortages.
“There are over 80,000 students in urban areas alone. It can take three to four months to screen a school with more than 500 students,” said a team member.
Civil surgeon Dr Pardeep Kumar Mohindra said, “I got to know about the rise in ailments and the staff shortage recently, and will look into it.”
