Govt launches first phase of deworming programme, which will cover 3300 schools and 11000 anganwadis
The National Deworming Day initiative finally made its presence felt in Delhi schools, as the the national capital's government, on Wednesday, launched the first phase of the deworming programme, which will cover 3,300 schools and 11,000 anganwadis across 12 districts. It is expected to cover almost 35 lakh school-age children.
This is the Delhi government's third such initiative, called the Mass Deworming Programme Round 3. however, it is part of phase one under the ambit of the national programme, which was launched in Jaipur on February 10, by Union health minister JP Nadda.
Wednesday's programme was launched by minister of health, Delhi government, Satyendra Jain. Though deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia was supposed to be part of it, he could not make an appearance.
Directly linking deworming with the long-term health of a child, Jain emphasised on the necessity of such measures, saying "over 25% children in Delhi are suffering from worm infestations. These worms act as parasites and suck up all the nutrition." Looking to expand its ambit, he added that though, for now, government schools were being covered, they are "looking at rolling out this program in private schools as well".
The deworming process kicks off today, April 16, in the all the government/ government-aided schools, anganwadis, MCD, NDMC and Cantonment Board Schools. A "mop-up day" is scheduled for April 20, when children who miss taking the tablets today will be covered.
To kick off the programme at the Government Sarvodaya Vidyalaya in west Delhi's New Multan Nagar, he personally administered the Albendazole tablets to a few of the school's students.
The government is aided by global health-based organisation Evidence Action's Deworm the World Initiative, a not-for-profit programme that supports government schools across the world. In India, it helps the central and state government with deworming programme up till the implementation, which has to be carried out by teachers trained by government nodal officers. The group helps with monitoring of the process, seeing that the information is correctly compiled, most importantly the number of children who have received the medicine and helping the government procure the medicine from WHO.
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