Mahender is 7th class student in the Government Zilla Parishad High School located in this village of Kandi mandal. For the past few weeks he was suffering from a skin ailment, which was noticed by head master T. Bhaskar and Hindi teacher H. Hanumaiah.
Mr. Hanumaiah himself applied some lotions and gave medicines to the boy, which gave him great relief. This also gave birth to a new idea Arogya Bala, thanks to the initiative by the school teachers and other staff with Mr. Bhaskar leading them.
Arogya Bala is a school-level health trust to address health problems being faced by the students, albeit to a limited extent. A three-member teachers’ committee which includes a biology teacher will initially examine the students in case of any health problem and speak to their parents. If it warrants a hospital visit or purchase of medicines, Arogya Bala trust will come forward to support. The first student to benefit from the trust was Mahender and he was extended an amount of ₹ 1,000 by Sushma Singh, president of Working Women’s Association, Ordnance Factory.
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Mr. Bhaskar initiated the process by donating ₹ 5,000 from his pocket which was followed by other teachers and some of the villagers. The response has been tremendous and the donation amount has crossed ₹ 35,000. The amount collected is being deposited in a joint account of two teachers working in the school.
The parents will be asked to treat their children first, followed by reimbursement provided they submit the bills including consultation and medicines. “We have identified 10 students suffering from some health issues including skin problems. We want to get them treated so that they can concentrate on,” Mr. Bhaskar said.