Six out of 10 girls in Karimnagar’s government schools have iron deficiency

The RBSK, in association with the State government, had conducted screening camps in government schools and anganwadi centres for girls between the age group of 6 to 18 years.
A medical officer examines a girl at a medical camp organised at Elgandal Model School in Karimnagar district on Tuesday | Express
A medical officer examines a girl at a medical camp organised at Elgandal Model School in Karimnagar district on Tuesday | Express

KARIMNAGAR:  In what can only be described as unfortunate, it has come to light that 6 out of 10 girls studying in Karimnagar district’s government schools suffer from iron deficiency. These statistics, revealed by the Rashtriya Bal Swyasthya Karakram(RBSK) working under the aegis of National Health Mission, throw light on the ill effects that malnutrition can have on a child’s education. 

The RBSK, in association with the State government, had conducted screening camps in government schools and anganwadi centres for girls between the age group of 6 to 18 years. It had begun doing so in June this year and has screened as many as 2,233 girl students at their respective schools. While they have completed screening, until Tuesday, at 74 schools out of the 673 schools in the district, the statistics speak for themselves. 

It was revealed that girls in government schools, with the exceptions of Gurukul, Model and Minority schools, are deficient in iron in their bodies. Dr A Manjula, district coordinator of RBSK, said that iron deficiency can be deeply detrimental to a student’s education. “We have found that 60 per cent of girls in government schools have hemoglobin levels below 10. Due to this, they face issues such as headache, fatigue and general weakness of the body. They also have difficulty in concentrating on their studies,” she said. 

V Saritha, principal of Elgandal Model School, said that her staff had observed multiple times that some girls would faint during morning prayers. She said that even food provided through the Mid-day Meals scheme were not sufficient anymore. Hence it will come as no surprise that as many as 246 girls in the school were found to have hemoglobin below 10 and 4 girls had levels as low as 7.

Officials, sensing that the situation demanded immediate action, have now decided to conduct awareness camps about anaemia for the girls. They are informing them about the various issues that come from iron deficiency. They have also begun distributing Ferrous Sulphate and Folic Acid tablets to improve haemoglobin levels in the girls’ bodies. They say that eating iron-rich foods such as eggs and leafy vegetables could help improve the situation. In serious cases, such as when a girl has haemoglobin levels below 7, they suggest blood infusion as an immediate measure. 

Related Stories

No stories found.
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com