Summary
At least 20 such clinics, called ‘Aam Aadmi School Clinics’, were recently inaugurated by Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia as a part of a pilot project run by the government in collaboration with The Hans Foundation
The clinic, built in a portable cabin within the premises of the school, will have a trained doctor, ANM, psychologist and a multi-task worker.
The Delhi government has set up clinics with trained doctors and psychologists in government schools to ensure physical, mental and emotional well-being of students.
Called ‘Aam Aadmi School Clinics’, these facilities will offer counselling to children suffering from mental distress and be connected to hospitals in the union territory to ensure that patients in need are referred to better medical facilities on time.
At least 20 such clinics were recently inaugurated by Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia as a part of a pilot project run by the government in collaboration with The Hans Foundation and with the support of CSR initiatives of the Indraprastha Apollo Hospital Delhi, BSES Rajdhani Power Limited and the BSES Yamuna Power Limited.
"The Aam Aadmi School Clinics are an extension of Mohalla Clinics and have been started with the aim of providing biannual health check-ups to our school students. Apart from this, for the first time, the focus will be laid on mental well-being along with physical health. A healthy mind will contribute to a healthy society and ultimately a healthier nation," Sisodia said.
"Having a psychologist is one of the biggest steps because it will be an addition to our happiness curriculum," the deputy chief minister added.
The clinic, built in a portable cabin within the premises of the school, will have a trained doctor, ANM, psychologist and a multi-task worker. The ANM will be responsible for screening students for any physical and mental health issues.
Availability of a psychologist along with a doctor, focus on early diagnosis and treatment, free consultation, medicines, treatment and first-aid services with a robust referral system to higher hospitals, qualified and trained staff and biannual follow-up of every student are among the features of these clinics.
Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain said the programme is carefully crafted to cater to young students, keeping in mind their physical and mental health needs.
"It aims to provide healthcare through regular full-body health check-ups by trained professionals, guidance on health management by doctors, group awareness sessions on issues like stress management, and individual therapy sessions by a psychologist," he said.
"Only a healthy mind can lead to a healthy body and contribute to a healthier society. We have initially started with this intervention for students, but we will think about extending these services for teachers as well as parents in the future," Jain added.
These clinics will screen 30 students each day. They are equipped with adequate supplies of medicines for the students. The list of medicines has been curated keeping in mind the specific needs of adolescents, with a primary focus on anaemia, malnutrition, refractive errors, worm infestation, and menstrual hygiene.
"One of the aims of these clinics is to work on long-term deficiencies and disorders such as anaemia, adolescent diabetes, refractive errors, worm infestation, menstrual hygiene, malnutrition, skin infection, and other diseases as well," a senior government official said.
The official explained that these clinics function digitally and maintain data on an online web portal.
Last updated on 09 Mar 2022
