Students’ health scheme a damp squib

Srikakulam: Rastriya Bala Swastha Karyakramam (RBSK), a Central government sponsored scheme for schoolchildren’s health, has become a damp squib in its implementation in Srikakulam district.

Medical teams were not formed under the RBSK, no medical tests were conducting at schools, no records are available on students’ health history. As a result, three students died of ill-health and another seven students are suffering from cancer and kidney ailments. 

These incidents were reported only in five government schools in two mandals, but the figure may become a cause for concern if medical records at all 3,500 government schools were verified across the district.

Vigilance and enforcement Srikakulam region wing formed five teams under the supervision Superintendent of Police T Harikrishna and verified health records and collected data on students’ health at five schools in Kaviti and Kanchili mandals in Srikakulam recently. 

They inspected records at Kaviti, Kusumpuram and Manikyapuram government schools in Kaviti mandal, Mamidipalli Kasturbha Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) and Jadupudi schools in Kanchili mandal.

Their inspections revealed that medical camps are not being conducted at schools under RBSK even once in six months. Students of these state schools are left in the lurch and their survival is purely depending on their luck and fate.

As per vigilance report, Anil Bisoy, a Class X studentof Manikyapuram High School, died of kidney ailment. Gudiya Indrani of Class VI of Kaviti High School, too, died of kidney disease.  Another student of Class VII B Tirupathi of Kusumapuram High School died of ill-health. 

Authorities concerned did not conduct medical tests even once on these three students under RBSK as per available records. Another seven students P Sailaja, K Jayalaxmi, B Vijaya, KGynaneswar Rao, B Pavani, B Pawan Kumar, Durga Prasad Behara of these five state schools are suffering from arthritis,  kidney ailments, blood cancer, thyroid, anemia and are undergoing treatment at various hospitals in Visakhapatnam, Hyderabad, Chennai.

“We found irregularities under RBSK and submitted a report to the government,” said Srikakulam regional vigilance and enforcement wing Superintendent of Police  T HariKrishna.

By Chowdari Lakshmana Rao