Bhubaneswar: Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited (BSCL) Tuesday collaborated with National Health Mission, Department of Social Security and Empowerment for Persons with Disability (SSEPD) and Capital Hospital to organise a health check-up programme for senior citizens of slums of Bhubaneswar Town Centre District (BTCD) area under the Socially Smart Project.
Around 35 people, including a few children with disabilities, from Shanti Nagar, Telugu Basti and Birsa Munda slums under BTCD were provided healthcare support besides being screened for hearing aids, eye problems and other diseases.
Social issues faced by senior citizens and active ageing, adolescent girls and women have been one of the mandates of BSCL. The company thus has collaborated with UNPFA for the Socially Smart Project. Besides the healthcare screening, discussions were organised with senior citizens of the BTCD slums to identify their issues and challenges and linkages with health services as these issues came out as one of the major concerns faced by them.
Accordingly, the initiative was taken up to refer the screened senior citizens to hospital and provide basic healthcare solutions and help them get required medicines. While five patients were identified with cataract problems, 15 were referred to physiotherapy sessions. The children with disabilities were screened by orthopaedic specialists and ENT technicians and they have been asked to collect their required hearing aids from the SSEPD Department.
The event was organised at Sahid Nagar heath centre and was attended by officials and experts of BSCL and UNFPA.