DEPARTMENT TO DISTRIBUTE 2.5 LAKH ORS PACKETS AND ZINC TABLETS AMONG 0-5 CHILDREN
JALANDHAR July 18 ( By Sachin Vyas) : – Initiated with an aim to keep the children healthy under the mission Tandarust Punjab, the health department has so far distributed oral rehydration solution (ORS) packets among 20151 children (0-5) in its Intensified Diarrhoea Control Fortnight Program till Monday.
An official spokesperson said that in this program, an extensive exercise is being done by as many as 1425 accredited social health activist (ASHA) workers who are conducting house to house survey and distributing the ORS packets.
“They are giving demonstrations about how to prepare ORS solution when families feed the solution to children so that it can protect children from this water-borne disease”, he added.
He told that separate health teams have also visited 494 schools to train the children in the right techniques of washing hands before eating.
He further stated that the health teams visiting households are also keeping the data of the detection of undernourished children and submitting reports to the department so that special attention to be given towards them. The posters, banners, hoardings have been displayed in the hospitals, clinics and other public places.
The spokesperson informed that demonstration and counselling corners have also been established at government health facilities including district hospitals, community and primary health and Anganwadi centres and ORS packets are being distributed among the parents who are visiting the health institutes with their children.
A meeting with private hospitals’ functionaries was also held and the department sought their help in the making the program a huge success in Jalandhar.
He said that a special importance is being given to promote exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life which yields tremendous health benefits to the child and protects them from many diseases.