Patna, Tuesday 22 Jan
Health Minister, Bihar, Shri Mangal Pandey along with Education and Social Welfare Minister, Shri Krishna Nandan Prasad Verma, Govt. of Bihar, launched a state level Weekly Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation program (WIFS). The program, an integral part of the Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK), has been structured for adolescents in the age group of 10 to 19 years. The health, education and social welfare departments will jointly run the WIFS program in the state. Students from classes VI to XII will be screened for deficiency of iron and referred to a Health Centre.
Shri Mangal Pandey launched the program by administering IFA tablet to Fauziya Khanam - a class 9 student of Bankipur Girls' High School, pledged his commitment to make Bihar anaemia-free. He said, 'every Wednesday, school going adolescent boys and girls between 10 and 19 years of age would be given one tablet of iron folic acid with the help of ASHA, Anganwadi Workers and Teachers. Girls who do not go to school would get the pills at Anganwadi Centre.'
Speaking on the occasion, Education and Social Welfare Minister, Shri Krishna Nandan Verma, cautioned against the misconception that such medicines, provided free of cost by the government, were not of good quality. He also advised officials to ensure that beneficiaries getting the tablets should take them in front of providers.
Principal Secretary, Health, Bihar, Shri Sanjay Kumar quoted figures from the CAB Census-2014 to emphasize that officials need to ensure effective implementation of the WIFS program. He said the IFA pill would be given to children studying in classes 6 to 12 in all government, government-funded and municipal schools for 52 weeks in a year. State Program Officer for Adolescent Health, Dr YN Pathak said the program would commence in the state from Wednesday. He said that lack of iron in adolescents resulted in inability to do their work, lack of concentration in studies, lack of appetite, retarded growth, reduction in immunity among teenagers and complications during childbirth. Patna civil surgeon Dr Pramod Kumar Jha, State Representatives of all development partners working in Bihar were present on the occasion along with officials of Health, Education and Social Welfare Departments, Govt. of Bihar.
Several school children were also present at the event who received mementos from the dignitaries.
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