Telangana News

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani announced that his government would launch "Atal Sneh" scheme, under which newborns would be tested for the birth defects.

As the scheme name hints, it will be launched on the birth anniversary of the former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on December 25th. Regarding this, the teams comprising doctors, female health workers and officials of the child protection department would visit the government and private nursing homes and hospitals to check health conditions of the newborns.

Speaking about the scheme, Mr Rupani, who inaugurated the annual school health check-up drive covering almost 1.5 crore school children in Gujarat's Gandhinagar, said Atal Sneh scheme would address several birth defects in the new born babies such as neural tube defects, cleft lip, club foot, congenital heart diseases, deafness and Down's syndrome.

Babies who were identified to have the defects, will be monitored on the regular basis, by the medical officers and female health workers to check the progress of their treatment. Those having critical condition would be referred to another hospital for better treatment.