LIFE-THREATENING AILMENTS: Free treatment to children on cards

Medical colleges to conduct screening camps every month

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: Altogether six medical colleges in Assam will conduct free screening camps every month to detect children with congenital heart disease, liver and kidney ailments and blood cancer.

After conducting such screening camps, the medical colleges will chalk out the list of children who need immediate heart surgery, liver, kidney and bone marrow transplants. The State Health department will bear the entire cost of treatment of these children at top-bracket hospitals across the country.

This was stated by Health & Family Welfare Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma while he was addressing a function of the National Health Mission (NHM) here on Saturday. He further said that free screening camps would be held at Gauhati Medical College & Hospital and five other medical colleges & hospitals on the tenth of every month. He pointed out that 7,669 children with congenital heart disease have already undergone free-of-cost surgeries at hospitals in Bengaluru and Kolkata. Bone-marrow transplant and liver transplant have been done on 50 and five children respectively.

"The State Government has decided to provide more such free treatment to children; and has asked the medical colleges to conduct free screening camps every month. All children irrespective of their financial backgrounds will receive the free treatment. Children will be sent outside on a priority basis considering their urgency of treatment. The government will have to spend several crores for the treatment," Sarma said.

The Minister added that even though the State Government is providing free treatment to the people of all age groups, it is giving more priority on the health of children and youths since they are the future of the country.

Sarma also said that altogether 3,562 persons have been benefitted by the the Assam Arogya Nidhi (AAN). The AAN is an initiative to provide financial assistance up to Rs 1.50 lakh to BPL families and families having a monthly income of less than Rs 10,000 for treatment of life-threatening ailments.

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