Bhubaneshwar, Oct 26 (ANI): The Government of Orissa has started a unique project to provide health facilities to all school children in the State.

The project has been undertaken in collaboration with the National Rural Health Mission. Under the scheme, all the school students in Orissa, both boys and girls, will receive medical facilities.

This project will be implemented in batches. For the first year, the government has allotted a sum of 12.5 crore rupees and each school will be provided ten thousand rupees fund for the health check up facilities.

According to Prasanna Acharya, Health and Family Welfare Minister of Orissa, the students will be provided health check-ups twice a year and they will be issued a health card.

"Most of them are living in the remote areas of the State. Basic primary health facilities are not available there. Therefore, we are sending the team of doctors," Acharya said.

This health project will cover around 58 lakh school students and team of doctors will be visiting around 60,000 schools all over the State.

Meena, a schoolteacher said that such kind of health schemes are very beneficial for the school students, especially girls.

"Health check-ups are good for school students. Specially, frequent health check-ups are important for girl students. It will help those children who belong to slums and study in the government schools, " said Meena, a school teacher.

Those school children who will be diagnosed with severe health problems, will be taken to hospitals for further treatment.

The cost of the treatment will be fully sponsored by the government including transport and other charges.

Health experts from the nearby public health and community health centres will also be invited to the schools to organise check -up camps, for which they will be paid allowances.

Such initiative is taken for the first time by the Orissa Government. By Sharda Lahangir (ANI)