TN health minister inaugurates Stop Diarrhoea Campaign across Tamil Nadu

CHENNAI: Health minister Ma Subramanian inaugurated the Stop Diarrhoea Campaign in the city and administered vitamin A drops to the children at the Kanikapuram Children's Centre of the Greater Chennai Corporation in Adyar zone on Monday.

The medical camps will be held across Tamil Nadu until August 31, 2024.

Diarrhoea is considered to be the leading cause of death in children under the age of 5 years.

Therefore, the campaign aims at zero deaths due to diarrhoea.

Health minister Ma Subramanian said that ORS packets have been procured at a cost of Rs 1.25 crore by the Tamil Nadu Medical Services Services Corporation and 45.31 lakh packets are to be distributed through the camps.

The state health department is also providing Zinc tablets at an estimated cost of Rs 1.68 crore to benefit 58.33 lakh children in Tamil Nadu.

In every household with children under 5 years of age, two ORS packets and 14 zinc tablets will be distributed by Anganwadi workers.

The vitamin A drops are also given to children with vitamin A deficiency to prevent vision loss.

The minister said that about 17.54 percent of vision loss is due to vitamin A deficiency per year in India and in Tamil Nadu, 7 percent vision loss is due to the same.

Therefore, the state health department is providing tablets to prevent vitamin A deficiency.

Clarifying on the death of a 10-year-old boy in Saidapet due to diarrhoea, the minister said that water contamination is not the reason for the death based on the primary reports and the postmortem report is due in two days.

Responding to the queries on suspected water contamination, he said that there are 2,500 people in the locality and no one else was affected.

The deceased boy's younger sister has gone to the Institute of Child Health in Egmore for treatment.

He explained that since the family are migrants from Bihar, they were asked for a deposit amount and no bribe was taken from them.

He said that people from other States are provided free treatment for the first 48 hours only under the Innuyir Kappom Nammai Kakkum 48 Thittam for accident cases.

On account of World Doctor's Day, the minister awarded 105 doctors for their exemplary service in the respective fields in Tamil Nadu.