Panipat, which is globally known as the ‘Handloom City’, has also carved out a distinct identity across the state for the successful implementation of the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK), a Central Government initiative aimed at screening schoolchildren for various diseases and disorders. The district has secured the second position in the state for providing surgeries to children under the RBSK programme. The Health Department has conducted surgeries on a total of 113 children suffering from various conditions, out of which 67 surgeries were performed under the RBSK. Jind district holds the top position with 70 surgeries under the scheme, followed by Panipat with 67 surgeries.
The department has progressively increased its outreach, performing surgeries on 44 children in 2022-23, 55 children in 2023-24, 56 children in 2024-25 and 113 children in 2025-26, of which 67 were under the RBSK. As per available data, nine mobile health teams, each consisting of two doctors and a pharmacist along with an auxiliary nurse midwife (ANM), screened a total of 2,19,805 children. This included 1,36,252 children registered in 1,048 Anganwadi centres and 83,563 students from 418 government schools in the district. RBSK Nodal Officer Dr Lalit Verma said that during these screenings, a total of 73,849 children were identified under the four ‘D’s — defects at birth, diseases, deficiencies and developmental delays — in the financial year 2025–26.
According to the data, 55,408 children were found suffering from diseases such as skin conditions (scabies, eczema), dental caries, otitis media (ear infections) and convulsive disorders. Similarly, 10,166 children were identified with developmental delays, including vision and hearing impairment, motor and cognitive delays, and behavioural disorders such as autism or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
In addition, 7,566 children were found to be deficient, including cases of severe acute malnutrition (SAM), severe anaemia and deficiencies of vitamins A and D. A total of 709 children were diagnosed with birth defects, including congenital heart diseases, cleft lip and palate, club foot, Down syndrome, congenital cataract and hearing impairment. The Health Department has conducted 113 surgeries in total, including 67 under the RBSK and 46 under other schemes such as Ayushman Bharat, government employee panels and NGO-supported initiatives.
Notably, out of the 67 surgeries under the RBSK, 45 cases were related to squint eye and cataract, while 22 children underwent surgery for congenital heart disease (CHD). Dr Verma said that mobile health teams regularly visit government schools, Anganwadi centres and delivery points to screen newborns and students. “If a child is diagnosed with any covered condition, secondary and tertiary care, including high-cost procedures such as congenital heart surgeries and cleft palate repairs, is provided free of cost at government or empanelled private hospitals,” Dr Verma said. He further added that, apart from surgeries, treatment is also being provided to children found anaemic or deficient in vitamins during screenings. Iron and folic acid tablets are distributed to schoolchildren every Wednesday in coordination with the Education Department.
Recently, a meeting of officials from various departments was held under the chairmanship of Deputy Commissioner Dr Virender Kumar Dahiya to review and strengthen the implementation of the RBSK programme, Dr Verma said.