Obesity is not an overnight situation, rather a steady progression triggered by junk food, lack of activity and sometimes genetics. But now, schoolgoers in Kollam do not have to fret over this issue as their friends will be keeping a close tab on their diet and weight.
Kutti Doctor, an initiative of the district panchayat, is all about catching the children young and cultivating in them a spate of exemplary skills and habits.
“The chosen students will undergo training at various Community Health Centres in a handful of subjects ranging from basic life support skills to behavioural disorders. The idea is to equip them to face crisis situations and accidents so that they will be of help during a medical emergency,” says district panchayat vice president M. Sivasankara Pillai.
Class 8 students
In schools, the Kutti Doctors in their white coats will be doing rounds in a bid to spread awareness and find anything out of ordinary.
“It will be easy for them to identify signs of substance abuse among peers. The student doctors will report such cases and direct them to counselling centres.” Sixteen schools have been selected from the 16 blocks in the district.
Twenty Class 8 students, 10 boys and 10 girls, from each school have been recruited for the programme. “Two faculty members have also been picked as nodal officers,” he adds. The programme has been launched with the assistance of District Medical Office and the Office of the Deputy Director of Education.
BMI to be checked
Food intake of each student will be monitored by the Kutti Doctor team, who will also check their Body Mass Index (BMI) on regular intervals. “Those who are overweight or on the brink will be given advice on healthy eating and other lifestyle changes. The parents also will be kept in the loop,” he says.
The students will be provided training in first aid, Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), source reduction for vector-borne diseases, and inputs to maintain a healthy lifestyle. “There will be demonstrations using dummies and the block medical officer will handle the classes. The student doctors will also spread awareness on a lot of subjects including the necessity of exercise,” says District Medical Officer V. V. Shirley.
