Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram
Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) Programme is a Government of India initiative. Under this Programme, Screening of 0-18 years children is being done. Early Intervention Service is provided to children who are identified with conditions categorized as 4 D’s, namely, (1) Defects at birth, 2) Developmental delays including disabilities, 3) Deficiencies and 4). Diseases (totally covering 30 diseases in 4D’s). The ‘Child Health Screening and Early Intervention Services’ Programme aims at early detection and management of Health conditions among children and thereby to reduce the morbidity and mortality. This Programme is being successfully implemented in Tamil Nadu by providing two Mobile Health Teams in each Block Primary Health Centre, each team consisting of Medical Officer, Staff Nurse, Pharmacist with Driver. There are 770 Mobile health teams in 385 rural blocks.
The annual plan for each team visit will be drawn and Anganwadi centre, and Schools, will be visited as per ATP.
This team will visit the schools once in a year and anganwadi centres twice in a year.
The Children identified with Birth defects, deficiencies, disabilities and diseases etc., will be referred to District Early Intervention Centre(DEIC) which are established in all districts of Tamil Nadu. DEIC are located in Government Medical College hospitals of the districts and Government Head Quarters hospitals of the districts where there is no Medical College hospital.
In Tamil Nadu totally there are 34 District Early Intervention Centres to effectively implement this programme. DEICs are provided with manpower including Pediatrician, Medical Officer, Dentist, Physiotherapist, Audiologist, and Speech Therapist, Psychologist, Optometrist, Early Interventionist cum Social Worker, Lab Technician, Dental Technician, System Analyst, Data Entry Operator.
The Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram scheme is further Extended to Urban areas also as detailed below:
- Greater Chennai corporation – 15 Mobile Health Teams
- Coimbatore Corporation - 3 Mobil Health Teams
- Madurai Corporation - 3 Mobile Health Teams
- Salem Corporation - 2 Mobile Health Teams
- Trichy Corporation - 2 Mobile Health Teams
- Tirupur corporation – 2 Mobile Health Teams
- Dindugal corporation- 2 Mobile Health Teams.
- Tirunelveli corporation -3 Mobile Health Teams.
- Vellore corporation - 3 Mobile Health Teams.
Totally there are 805 Mobile Health Teams and 34 District Early Intervention Centres are in function to effectively implement this programme.