The Bihar government will begin distributing health cards under the New Generation Health Guarantee scheme, to 3.4 crore children from tomorrow.
The health cards would be distributed to children till 14 years of age and special camps would be organized in government schools and sub-primary health centres (SPHCs) throughout the state for the purpose, Principal Secretary (Health) Amarjeet Sinha told reporters.
Under the scheme, doctors and medical teams from government hospitals will reach out to the cardholders and test various parameters of their health, including malnutrition and ailments, if any, and provide treatment to them in the event of detection of any problem, Sinha said.
In order to enable the medical authorities to reach out to the children, all data related to the beneficiaries, including the mobile number of their families, have been compiled in the card and digitalised, he said.
The health cards will help in the drive against malnutrition and prevent child marriage, Sinha said.
The data for the health cards was compiled jointly by Human Resources and Social Welfare departments with a grant of Rs 40 crore from Britain's Department of International Development.
The distribution of the health cards will conclude on October 2, he added.