statesman news service New Delhi, 15 July In an initiative to curb the menace of anaemia that affects 52 per…
statesman news service
New Delhi, 15 July
In an initiative to curb the menace of anaemia that affects 52 per cent of adolescent girls in the capital, the Delhi Chief Minister, Mrs Sheila Dikshit, today launched “Weekly Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation Programme (WIFS)”.
Mrs Dikshit along with Dr. A.K. Walia, Health & Family Welfare Minister initiated the programme by administering iron and folic acid tablets to girl students of various government schools in the capital.
According to Mrs Dikshit, the programme will be implemented under Chacha Nehru Sehat Yojana in all schools of Delhi Government, its aided schools, New Delhi Municipal Council and Delhi Cantonment Board schools for students from class 6 to 12.
"It will also cover adolescent girls in the age group of 10-19 years through Anganwadi Centres where they will receive weekly iron and folic acid supplementation tablets on every Wednesday. Besides this, all children between 12-19 years will receive de-worming tablets and syrups once a year," stated Mrs Dikshit.
This programme will reach out to 18 lakh children under WIFS Programme and 35 lakhs under De-worming Programme. Launching the programme, Mrs Dikshit expressed confidence that weekly iron and folic acid supplementation will go a long way in making Delhi healthy.
She said that since the programme is to be implemented in coordination between Health and Education Departments, it is essential that both the departments must work at tandem with each other.
The Chief Minister also stated that as Delhi became the first state to eliminate polio, it should also become the first state to eradicate anaemia.
Dr. Walia said that anaemia in adolescents is an entirely preventable disorder. Low hemoglobin levels lead to various dire consequences.
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