- Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) is a new initiative in this direction which seeks to put together a systematic approach to child health screening and early intervention.
- The National Rural Health Mission has lauched a new initiative of Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram, a Child Health Screening and Early Intervention Services Programme to provide comprehensive care to all the children in the community
- The ‘Child Health Screening and Early Intervention Services’ Programme under National Rural
Health Mission initiated by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, therefore, aims at early
detection and management of the 4Ds prevalent in children. These are Defects at birth, Diseases in
children, De ciency conditions and Developmental Delays including Disabilities - Target Group under Child Health Screening and Intervention Services
- The services aim to cover all children of 0-6 years of age group in rural areas and urban slums, in addition to older children upto 18 years of age enrolled in classes 1st to 12th in Government and Government aided schools. It is expected that these services will reach and bene t about 27 crore children in a phased manner
Categories Age group Estimated Coverage
Babies born at public health facilities and home Birth to 6 weeks -2 crores
Preschool children in rural areas and urban slums -6 weeks to 6 years 8 crores - diseases screened include
- Defects at Birth
1. Neural Tube Defect
2. Down’s Syndrome
3. Cleft Lip & Palate / Cleft Palate alone
4. Talipes (club foot)
5. Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip
6. Congenital Cataract
7. Congenital Deafness
8. Congenital Heart Diseases
9. Retinopathy of Prematurity - Childhood Diseases
15. Skin conditions (Scabies, Fungal Infection and
Eczema)
16. Otitis Media
17. Rheumatic Heart Disease
18. Reactive Airway Disease
19. Dental Caries
20. Convulsive Disorders - DeFI ciencies
10. Anaemia especially Severe Anaemia
11. Vitamin A De ciency (Bitot spot)
12. Vitamin D De ciency (Rickets)
13. Severe Acute Malnutrition
14. Goiter - Developmental Delays and Disabilities
21. Vision Impairment
22. Hearing Impairment
23. Neuro-Motor Impairment
24. Motor Delay
25. Cognitive Delay
26. Language Delay
27. Behaviour Disorder (Autism)
28. Learning Disorder
29. Attention De cit Hyperactivity Disorder - operational guideline
1. For new born:
• Facility based newborn screening at public health facilities, by existing health manpower.
• Community based newborn screening at home through ASHAs for newborn till 6 weeks of age during home visitation.
2. For children 6 weeks to 6 years:
• Anganwadi Center based screening by the dedicated Mobile Health Teams
3. For children 6 years to 18 years:
• Government and Government aided school based screening by dedicated Mobile Health
Teams
Superintendent, ICH.