What happened
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare expanded the operational guidelines of Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) 2.0 to cover 38 common health conditions in children. The revised guidelines explicitly add emerging child health priorities such as diabetes and hypertension, mental health conditions, and behavioural concerns, with an emphasis on obesity-related lifestyle risks. The update also strengthens Mobile Health Teams used under RBSK and strengthens school and Anganwadi screening through additional human resources drawn from other National Health Mission programmes, supported by IEC for awareness.
Background and earlier position
Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) operates through Mobile Health Teams (MHTs) that conduct child health screening and enable follow-up care. Under the existing RBSK framework, screening occurs in settings such as schools and Anganwadi centres and aims to provide a continuum of preventive, promotive, and curative care with tracking mechanisms for identified needs.
What changed now
RBSK 2.0 operational guidelines were expanded in scope and implementation support. Key additions and changes announced in the guidelines include:
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