Over 3.1 Million Primary Pupils Checked for Anaemia & Growth Disorders

More than 3.1 million primary school pupils have been screened for anaemia, obesity and stunting since the start of the current academic year, according to the Ministry of Health and Population.

The campaign began on September 27th and has so far examined 3,110,253 pupils across 29,000 public and private primary schools. Screening will continue throughout the academic year.

Medical teams measure pupils’ weight, height and blood haemoglobin levels to identify nutritional disorders. Children diagnosed with anaemia, obesity or stunting are referred to Health Insurance Authority clinics for further examinations, free medication and regular follow-up.

Around 2,000 medical teams trained in screening, diagnosis and infection prevention are taking part in the initiative, alongside health education teams running awareness sessions for pupils and families.

The programme forms part of a presidential initiative launched in 2019 to combine early detection with treatment and monitoring. The latest campaign follows figures released in September showing child anaemia had fallen to 8%, while stunting stood at 4%.