Children’s mental and physical health after being cooped up inside homes for months on end has parents increasingly worried. When it comes to differently abled children, these concerns are amplified, especially against the backdrop of rise in COVID-19 caseload in recent days.
In a first, the Samagra Shiksha, Kerala’s Payyannur block resource centre is piloting an online programme in which an entire panel of doctors will address concerns related to the differently abled children and their parents every week.
The programme ‘Doctor Live’ will see experts from various medical disciplines reply to doubts and queries live on a WhatsApp group at specific times in a week. Parents of differently abled children can text their problems or doubts to the group any time. Live questions too can be posed. T.V. Viswanathan, district programme officer, Kannur, says some differently abled children need continuous medical attention. However, in the wake of the pandemic, parents are unable to take them to hospitals or doctors fearing COVID-19 infection. Forced to manage various problems at home, they are under a lot of strain fearing the impact of the lack of medical attention on their children.
S.Y. Shooja, State Programme Officer, Samagra Shiksha, Kerala, says differently abled children are finding themselves without their usual support structures such as resource teachers, therapists, doctors, and so on. The ‘Doctor Live’ initiative will help address such physical or mental health concerns virtually in the absence of face-to-face meetings.
“A programme such as Doctor Live is essential in these COVID times,” Mr. Viswanathan says.
