OdishaPlus Bureau
- Collector & District Magistrate Mr Nikhil Pavan Kalyan also launched two other welfare programmes: Physiotherapy services at block level and Safety Kits for Workers.
- Nutrition Programme for children completes a year successfully, more in the offing.
As the nation celebrated the 75th Independence Day on Sunday August 15, 2021, the Sundargarh District Administration took a leap forward in providing improved health services to the people of the district and ensuring the safety of the workers. During a ceremony organized at the Vikash Bhawan in the Collectrate premises, District Magistrate Mr Nikhil Pavan Kalyan launched three public welfare programmes and dedicated it to the people.
The three programs inaugurated by the Collector included the e-SWASTHYA, Integrated Physiotherapy & Therapeutics Unit to be provided at the block level and Safety Kit for Workers.
Under the ‘e-SWASTHYA’ programme, people both in the rural and urban pockets of the district, will have easy access to health screening and preventive diagnostics test facilities, free of cost. Likewise, under the Integrated Physiotherapy & Therapeutics Unit , physiotherapy and other related services will be provided to people at the block level. The Safety Kits are meant for the safety of construction workers and the workforce engaged in the mines and factories of the district.
Speaking on the occasion, The Collector Mr. Nikhil Pavan Kalyan said, “We aim at taking the improved health services available in the urban areas to people in the rural areas and so the e-SWASTHYA and physiotherapy services have been started.”
Besides launch of these programmes, the district also celebrated the successful completion of a year of the nutrition programme meant for children. The programme is catering to the nutritional needs of 07 months- 06 years old children by providing them spirulina enriched chikkis (a sweet dish made of nuts and jaggery) and sugar and Ragi (millet) laddu mix.
“It is encouraging to see how the spirulina-fortified chikkis and Ragi laddus programme have been a success in meeting the nutritional needs of children and in arresting malnutrition in the district,” the Collector Sundargarh added.
Lab-In-the Bag at 12 health centers of district, 76 types of tests to be done
People of the district will now be able to get 76 types of tests done free of cost under the e-SWASTHYA programme. For the purpose, pathology sample collection centers are set up in many locations and the Lab-In-the Bag service is being started at 12 health centers of the district. Besides the pathology tests, screening for hypertension, diabetes, measurement of weight and height and ECG facilities will also be available free of cost.
A digital record of the health history of the pregnant women will be kept under the Matrujyoti programme. This will help in easy and quick access to the medical history of the pregnant women for further healthcare and to deal with health complications in case of an emergency. A separate web portal and mobile application are being started for the purpose.
Physiotherapy and other related services now to be available at block level
Through the Integrated Physiotherapy being started at the 11 community health centers (CHCs), people residing in more than 150 villages will have access to physiotherapy services at absolutely no cost. The services would include physiotherapy services for lifestyle diseases, side effects caused due to chronic health ailments and after any surgery, injury caused due to accidents, geriatric diseases and birth anomalies in children. Early intervention therapy, speech therapy, behaviour therapy and learning aid therapy will also be provided under the programme.
Safety Kits for Workers:
As the district is home to many laborers working in the mines, factories and engaged in construction work, the District Administration has decided to start a separate Safety Kit programme for them. In the first phase, the kits would be provided to more than 15,000 laborers working in the district.
During the programme organized on Sunday, workers were given Safety Kits. The Safety Kits have shoes, protective eyewear, helmets, hand gloves, gumboots, layered earplugs, masks for protection from dust and smoke, safety harness, jackets and other things necessary to keep the workers protected in the field.
Nutritional Programme for Children completes a year:
The Ragi (finger millet) laddu mix and spirulina-fortified chikkis and sugar programme was started on August 15 2020 seven months to six years old children enrolled in the Anganwadi centers of the district. The District Administration is providing the spirulina enriched food to 1,42,000 children in the seven months to two years of age (07 months- 02 years) while the Ragi laddu mix is being given to 63,000 children of the district in the age group of two to six years (02-06 years).
At present the spirulina chikkis and sugar are being purchased from outside the state but the District Administration plans to soon start preparation of the fortified products with the help of women Self-Help Groups (SHGs) members of the district under the Mission Shakti programme. The Women SHG members are currently undergoing training at the chikki manufacturing unit set up at Rangadhipa in the Sundargarh Subdivision. The District Mineral Foundation (DMF) is providing financial support for the programme.
“Spirulina is greatly helpful in the physical and mental development of children,” said Mahesh RV, the Founder and Chairman of Spirulina Foundation who was present on the occasion. He applauded the efforts of the District Magistrate for promoting spirulina use to meet the nutritional needs of children in the district.
An exhibition of different food items prepared from Ragi was organized on the occasion. Collector Nikhil Pavan Kalyan and other officials felicitated the women SHG members for their exemplary work in the district Nutrition Programme. Through songs, dance and speeches, few children from Anganwadi centers of the Tangarpali block presented the nutritional benefits of spirulina and millets.
Among others, Bhairab Singh Patel, Project Director, District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) & CEO DMF, Chief District Medical Officer (CDMO) Dr. Saroj Kumar Mishra, Chief District Agriculture Officer Ramchandra Nayak, District Social Welfare Officer Pravasini Chakra and officials from the District and District Mineral Foundation were present on the occasion.