Tamil Nadu Minister for Health and Family Welfare Ma. Subramanian on Tuesday launched the special health and awareness camps for adolescents here at Chennai Girls Higher Secondary School, Saidapet.
The launch of the camp follows the announcement that 25,000 such health and awareness camps will be organised across the State in one year, made by the Health and Family Welfare department during this year’s budget session of the Assembly.
As part of the launch, 500 students from the school underwent screening on Tuesday. Mr. Subramanian said that around 20 parameters will be analysed based on tests conducted with blood samples with a special focus on identifying students who are anaemic. The camps will also offer health counselling. The Minister said that 52.9 % of adolescent girls and 24.6 % of adolescent boys are estimated to be anaemic in Tamil Nadu.
Over the next one year 25,524 camps are planned at the rate of one camp per month by each of 2,127 Primary Health Centres in schools and colleges nearer to them in both rural and urban areas. A release by the department said that this comprehensive initiative is expected to benefit 1.08 crore adolescents in the age group of 10 to 19 years, which included 55.9 lakh boys and 53 lakh girls. The camps will cover both school-going and out-of-school adolescents, the release added.
The release further said that the initiative, by identifying anaemic adolescents and providing specialised medical treatment, will aim to make Tamil Nadu an anaemia-free State and thereby gradually reduce maternal and infant mortality rates in the years to come.
Citing initiatives like “Varumun Kappom” and the distribution of sanitary napkins in Corporation Schools in Chennai, Mr. Subramanian said that the DMK has been a pioneer in launching health initiatives in Tamil Nadu, which were later taken as models for the entire country.
