Latest news with #ProjectSarthi
Indian Express
28-07-2025
- Health
- Indian Express
After student's suicide, govt set to launch special psychological campaign in 1,800 Ahmedabad schools
In the wake of a recent case wherein a Class 10 student of a private school in Ahmedabad died by suicide, the district education authorities have decided to launch a special counselling campaign covering over five lakh students of all the 1,800 private schools in the city starting next Saturday. Ahmedabad City District Education Officer (DEO) Rohit Chaudhary told The Indian Express, 'The incident came as a shock to everyone and was an eye-opener. It has been decided that 1,800 schools will be covered under Project Sarthi starting this (next) Saturday. To commence with, we will train two teachers as counsellors in each school through an online session, who will in turn provide counselling services to the students.' Project Sarthi was launched in Ahmedabad school last year which covers around 200 schools at present. The campaign, run by non-profit organisation Namaste Life Health Care Foundation covers five issues — nutritional and healthy diet, coping with stress and exam anxiety, emotional resilience and self-confidence, awareness against mobile, social media addiction and other addictions, awareness and prevention of harassment. A Class 12 student, who studied in Som Lalit School in Navrangpura also died by suicide by jumping from the fourth floor of the school building this week. School authorities stated that the student was allegedly suffering from depression owing to which, she had also remained on leave for a month. Sharing more information about the campaign, the DEO said, 'As part of the intensive exercise for the 1,800 schools, online monthly sessions will start from August 2 where principals, teachers, and parents associated with the schools will be covered. Once a week, through an online guidance programme, physical and mental health will be reviewed through different psychologists, sociologists, dieticians, paediatricians, and yoga experts, and efforts will be made to make them strong. Also, students will be encouraged to share any kind of problems or issues they are facing, but will be assured that their identities would not be disclosed.' The authorities are also targeting to address issues, including stress caused by suppressed emotions, peer pressure on the students related to addictions of drugs, alcohol, mobiles in the circle of friends. Teachers of these schools will be trained so that they can identify students (who need help) and will be made aware about their roles. The DEO office also aims to have one expert-led, guided wellness session every month in all the 1,800 schools in the city, with parents and community leaders also being active participants of the same. At present, nearly 500 principals and teachers have been trained under the programme. Other initiatives include keeping a 'box' in some schools where students can drop psychological or other issues with the school counsellors.
Time of India
05-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Kataria seeks solutions as PGI grapples with patient overload
Chandigarh: PGI, a premier tertiary care hospital, is grappling with a significant patient overload, with over 8,000 patients visiting its OPDs daily. This influx of patients, not only from Chandigarh but also from neighbouring states like Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, and Uttarakhand, has prompted Punjab governor and Chandigarh administrator Gulab Chand Kataria to seek immediate solutions. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now During his keynote address at the one-year celebration of Project Sarthi at PGI on Monday, the UT administrator addressed the issue. He acknowledged the long waiting time at PGI and emphasised the need to streamline patient flow. "Give some suggestions so that the smaller hospitals can manage the non-referral cases and ease off patient load in PGI," he urged the PGI Director. He said, "You can send some senior representative on Tuesday for suggestions and we can chart a road map for decongestion of the institute to reduce the long waiting hours here." The Governor stressed that PGI, being a tertiary care institution, should ideally handle complex and referred cases. However, a large number of patients seeking treatment could be managed effectively at secondary or even primary healthcare levels. He emphasised that by strengthening the capabilities of smaller hospitals, the burden on PGI can be reduced, allowing the institute to focus on critical cases. The Governor also lauded the efforts of Project Sarthi and its National Service Scheme (NSS) volunteers. "A little support can save time, ease stress, and transform a patient's experience," he stated, highlighting the project's reach to over 400 hospitals. He expressed his vision for expanding such initiatives, stating, "I believe this project has the potential to change healthcare, not just in one place, but nationwide—starting with Punjab and Udaipur, and spreading wherever patients need it most." He also emphasised the importance of starting similar services in other hospitals. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In a related development, sources indicate that the UT Administrator will soon be visiting civil hospitals in the city to assess the patient services and identify areas for improvement. Governor Kataria also made a special request to the PGI Director, asking for incentives to be given to all the NSS volunteers of the Sarthi project, including a group photograph with him and other senior doctors at PGI, recognising their valuable contributions. The PGI administration gave certificates to a few NSS volunteers who worked in the Sarthi project. Hailing from the background of a teacher, the UT Administrator said, "If all the children were given the certificates or even called on the stage for a group photograph with me and other senior doctors here, it could leave a lasting impression on their minds." Soon after, the volunteers were called on stage for a group photograph with the volunteers. MSID:: 120902494 413 |
