New Delhi: The Union Health Minister, J P Nadda on Wednesday called for collective efforts to provide accessibility to medical services and rehabilitation of persons with disabilities.
"Within the new policies, programs and strategies have been designed to empower children and persons with special needs with equal rights and opportunities in education and employment," he said adding that the government is committed to prevention, early diagnosis and appropriate treatment of disorders in children.
Nadda was speaking at the concluding day of the three day workshop on Neurodevelopment Disorder in Children organised by Health Ministry, pediatric department of AIIMS, with support from UNICEF and Norway India Partnership Initiative (NIPI) in health. It was organised to mark the International Day for Persons with Disabilities.
The Health Minister said that the government, through its various efforts, was addressing key developmental issues, including developmental delay, intellectual disability, cerebral palsy, autism, hyperactivity disorder.
He said that an estimated over 200 million children in developing countries are not reaching their full developmental potential. In developed world 10-20 per cent of individuals have learning or developmental difficulties.
In India, estimates suggest that 10 per cent children are affected with developmental delays and are at significant risk of permanent disabilities, Nadda said.
He said that Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) under National Health Mission (NHM) has comprehensively incorporated early diagnosis and intervention strategies for developmental disorders.
The Health Minister released the framework for convergent action towards comprehensive care of children with developmental difficulties, at the occasion.
This will serve as an indispensible guide to future action plans to be developed by policymakers within various ministries.
Nadda also launched a mobile-based microsite for training module for healthcare practitioners.
