LAHORE: Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid on Friday launched Chief Minister’s School Health and Nutrition Programme for the schoolchildren at the Govt Higher School Jeevan Gondal, Sargodha.

In the first phase of this programme, said a handout, health and nutrition status of more than 50,000 public schoolchildren across the province would be examined.

Children requiring further screenings would be provided with diagnosis and treatment through the mobile health units and government health facilities.

The ceremony was also attended by Provincial Minister for School Education Murad Raas, Provincial Minister for Labour Ansar Majeed Khan, Secretary Primary Secondary Health Care retired Capt Usman Younas, MPA Iftikhar Hussain and Sargodha Deputy Commissioner Abdullah Nair Shaikh.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Rashid said the project was piloted at the Central Model School in Lahore and was later expanded to 11 schools of the provincial capital while it had now been scaled up to the entire province.

“Mobile health units have been provided to nine divisional headquarters in the province. They are equipped with X-ray and ultrasound machines, blood screening facilities as well as doctors and specialists. The school health nutrition supervisor will conduct a thorough medical examination of children and assess their physical and nutrition status. The children requiring treatment will be provided diagnosis and treatment facilities at the mobile health units or nearest health facilities.”

The minister said a database of the children would be developed and their growth would be continuously monitored.

In the second phase, the medical check-up would be provided to students of private schools whereas in the third phase, proper nutrition arrangements would be made for the students.

Ms Rashid said during the next two years, the record of all the children would be computerised and cards would be given to every student.

“We have laid special emphasis on human resource and have hired 26,000 people in the health department, including 14,000 doctors. As many as 1,720 school health and nutrition supervisors have been given exclusive responsibility of screening children,” she said.

Published in Dawn, December 21st, 2019