From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore
Bangalore, Jun 22: Karnataka has set up district disabled rehabilitation centers (DDRCs) in four districts – Mysore, Gadag, Haveri and Raichur – on a pilot basis with the support of the Red Cross for taking care of disabled children.
The centers are fully funded by the State Government and it would Rs. 30 lakh per each centre a year to take care of disabled children in four districts, Karnataka’s Women and Child Welfare Minister C C Patil said.
The DDRCs are being set up to provide comprehensive rehabilitation services to persons with disabilities (PWDs) to enable them to become self-sufficient and productive.
They also act as disseminator of information relating to prevention of disabilities and strengthen society in controlling and preventing them.
The Minister said the Department has introduced a special health scheme for infants from BPL families -- Bala Sanjeevini -- to bring down infant mortality.
Five nodal hospitals had been identified to provide facilities for beneficiaries of the scheme in the first phase of implementation of the project. They are: Indira Gandhi Institute for Child Health, Bangalore, Bapuji Children Hospital, Davanagere, KLE Hospital, Belgaum, M R Medical College, Gulbarga and Kasturba Medical College, Manipal.
Children from BPL families aged between zero to six years, who are either going to anganwadis or come under Bhagyalakshmi Scheme, are eligible for the scheme. Treatment would be given to 18 types of diseases under the scheme.
The department grants Rs. 35,000 to Rs. 50,000 per child to cure the disease. Parents of children will get Rs. 100 per day for staying at the hospital during the treatment.