360 CHILDREN FOUND TO HAVE HEART TROUBLE DURING HEALTH CHECKS IN AHMEDABAD SCHOOLS

The ongoing Gujarat Assembly Budget Session 2026 on Friday revealed alarming health data from government schools in Ahmedabad district, where 360 children were found to be suffering from serious heart ailments during routine medical screenings.

The issue surfaced during Question Hour in the House when the state government presented details of its ongoing school health check-up programme. According to information shared by the state health minister, lakhs of students studying in government schools across the district have undergone medical examinations over the past two years, during which hundreds were diagnosed with serious illnesses.

The minister informed the House that the school health check-up programme is being implemented intensively in rural and semi-urban areas of Ahmedabad district with the objective of identifying hidden diseases at an early stage and ensuring timely treatment. Over the last two years, a total of 5,17,164 children studying in government schools across nine talukas, including Bavla, Daskroi, Detroj, Dhandhuka, Dholera, Dholka, Mandal, Sanand and Viramgam, were screened under the initiative.

During these screenings, 360 children were diagnosed with weak or diseased hearts. Of these, 191 children underwent successful heart surgeries or received specialised treatment over the past year. Daskroi taluka reported the highest number of such cases, with 78 children found to be suffering from severe heart conditions.

The health screenings also detected other serious illnesses among students, including cancer as well as kidney and stomach-related diseases.

Data for the financial year 2025-26 further showed that about 5,285 children received treatment for conditions such as anaemia, eye problems, skin diseases, dental issues, and ear, nose and throat ailments either within schools or at nearby health centres. Anaemia was found to be particularly prevalent among adolescent girls, who were subsequently provided iron supplements and nutritional guidance.

Students requiring advanced medical intervention were referred to tertiary care centres by the government. In the past year alone, 30,295 children were referred to major hospitals for specialised treatment. According to officials, all such children receive free surgeries, medicines and medical care under various government welfare schemes.

The health department told the Assembly that mobile health teams continue to operate in rural areas to ensure that students receive timely diagnosis and treatment. Officials added that regular medical screenings at the school level, including visits by specialist doctors, have helped in early detection of critical illnesses and reduced the risk of premature deaths among children.

Expensive treatments, particularly for heart and kidney diseases, are being provided free of cost to children from economically weaker and middle-income families, which the government described as a major success of the school health programme.

2026-03-13T08:56:49Z