Nashik: The Nashik district has achieved a record-breaking performance under the National Child Health Program or Rashtriya Bal Surakhsa Karyakram (RBSK). The district has successfully examined thousands of children and completed 100 percent of the required surgeries.
Implemented since April 1, 2013, under the Central Government's National Health Mission, this program provides free health check-ups, timely diagnosis, treatment, and necessary surgeries to children from birth to 18 years of age.
The main objective of this program is the timely diagnosis and free treatment of birth defects, diseases, nutritional deficiencies, and developmental delays. This initiative is based on the '4 D' principle (Defects at birth, Diseases, Deficiencies, Developmental delays).
Under this program, children with problems such as neural tube defects, Down syndrome, cleft lip and palate, clubfoot, congenital heart disease, thalassemia, sickle cell anemia, vitamin deficiencies, deafness, and intellectual disability are examined.
Children with congenital defects are provided with free surgeries such as cleft lip and palate repair, clubfoot surgery, heart surgery, cochlear implant, and cataract surgery at tertiary hospitals. Mobile health teams conduct examinations at Anganwadis and schools. Eighty teams are operational in the district, and private super-specialty hospitals are affiliated for complex surgeries.
In 2024-25, Anganwadi examinations, heart surgeries, and other surgeries were completed 100 per cent. In the school health program, 100 percent of schools and 98 per cent of students were examined.
This has led to a significant reduction in the infant mortality rate among children under 5 years of age in rural areas, and effective control over diseases like thalassemia and cleft lip and palate. Poor families have been relieved of a significant financial burden.
This achievement is a result of the efforts of the RBSK teams across the district, under the leadership of District Surgeon Dr Charudatta Shinde and Resident Medical Officer Dr Sandeep Suryavanshi. The program benefited from the supervision of District Program Supervisors Deepak Chaudhary and Sandeep Patil. This program is laying a strong foundation for the bright future of the children.
