Tahir Mushtaq
GNS JAMMU, : A survey carried by Red Cross in Jammu district has shown that 50 per cent of the school going children in the district are facing meal-nutrition and other health problems.
Two year long survey was carried out in 2,659 educational institutions and Anganwari centers covering nearly 2 lakh children in the age group of 3-10 years. Around one lack children have been found suffering from various minor ailments or over stressed due to the pressure of studies.
Officials said that while children in rural areas are facing minor malnutrition, their counterparts in the urban center are facing anemia or weak eye sight, but health wise they are better off than villages.
A senior Health official said that the survey has given an accurate picture about the situation and a detailed project, to comprehensive medical treatment to the targeted lot, along with the help of the education department, is being implemented.
Director Health Dr Madhu Khullar said that they already have School Health Programme and every month educational institution is taken up for health check up.
Sources said that the survey conducted over last two years show that every second child in the district is unhealthy and suffer from minor malnutrition, anemia or weak eyesight.
According to the officials nearly 20,727 school children, after a general check up the Red Cross have been referred to health institutions in past two years, while others were given medical treatment during the survey itself.
The survey in Jammu district was conducted under a special project and the second phase of the study will include more districts, even those in the Kashmir valley.
Survey carried out by the Red Cross society along with the Health Department revealed that most of the children in rural areas and government schools are far less healthy than those studying in the private schools.
“It has alarmed us too because in most of the cases parents in rural areas don’t take the health of their wards seriously and they rely more on the alternative therapies. The issue is that these are the figures of just Jammu, what will be the condition of other areas”, said Suresh Sharma, district secretary of the Jammu Red Cross society.
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