Tripura Chief Minister Prof. Dr Manik Saha on Thursday said that one of the goals of the present state government is to provide a healthy and normal life to children affected by congenital physical problems.

“The state government has decided to provide free medical services to children of all sections with congenital heart disease. The Apollo Hospital authorities have assured us they will come to the state as much as possible to provide treatment to children suffering from congenital heart disease. One of the goals of the government is to give a healthy and normal life to the children who are affected by such congenital physical problems,” he said.

Dr Saha said this while inaugurating the first state-level screening camp for Congenital Heart Disease in collaboration with Apollo Children’s Hospital Chennai at the Agartala Government Nursing College Auditorium, IGM Hospital, Agartala.

“There is no satisfaction like working for people. Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi makes working for the people one of the top priorities. The Tripura government and health department are also working in that direction. Congenital physical anomalies are frequently observed nowadays. Through various tests, it can be determined whether there is any physical defect before the birth of the child. However, if anomalies are detected after delivery, such as cleft lip, clubfoot, physical internal imperfections, or developmental defects, appropriate treatment is required,” said Dr. Saha. The Chief Minister stated that there are 44 dedicated mobile health teams in Tripura.

“These teams visit various Anganwadi Centers and screen children from zero to 6 years of age every day. Additionally, children from 6 to 18 years of age are screened in government-aided and private (government-aided) schools,” he said.

He added that under the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram, Tripura provides primary care and, if necessary, surgery to children born with various birth defects such as congenital heart disease, hearing impairment, clubfoot, visual impairment, and neural tube defects.

“The program has three District Early Intervention Centers in Gomati, Dhalai, and Unakoti districts of the state. Early intervention centers are also planned in the West Tripura district,” he said.

Apart from this, the State Child Health Program provides primary treatment for congenital problems such as clubfoot, visual impairment, and neural tube defects.

“There are also surgical procedures. So far, about 1,021 such treatments have been done in the state. Around 2,000 cleft lips and cleft palates have been treated. Additionally, 630 cases of congenital heart disease, 40 children with clubfoot, and 15 children with neural tube defects have been treated and operated on,” he said.

The Chief Minister also mentioned that the Apollo Hospital authorities have assured they will come to the state and provide treatment to children suffering from congenital heart disease as much as possible.

“We want children with such congenital problems to live healthy and normal lives in the future,” he added.

Additional Secretary of Health and Family Welfare Department Dr. Brammit Kaur, Director of Health Department Dr. Sanjib Ranjan Debbarma, Director of Medical Education Dr. HP Sharma, Director of Family Welfare and Disease Prevention Department Dr. Anjan Das, and others were present.