Over 1 lakh screened under ‘Swasth Bastar’ drive in Narayanpur, 792 referred for specialised care

RAIPUR: In a sweeping doorstep healthcare push in Bastar’s interiors, over one lakh villagers in Narayanpur's regions have been screened under the ‘Mukhyamantri Swasth Bastar Abhiyan’, with nearly 800 patients flagged for specialised treatment, which is a rare scale of early disease detection in one of Chhattisgarh’s most inaccessible districts.Launched by chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai on April 13, the campaign aims to bring healthcare to remote and tribal regions, ensuring early detection and timely treatment of serious illnesses.In Narayanpur, the district administration has deployed 64 medical teams to carry out house-to-house health screening across far-flung villages. Each team is working on a micro-plan, covering every household and screening all family members.Officials said screening is being conducted for diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, leprosy, sickle cell, anaemia, diabetes, hypertension, cataract and oral cancer. Free diagnostic and treatment services are being provided, along with counselling to promote early intervention and prevention.As part of the drive, villagers are also being enrolled for Ayushman and ABHA health cards, enabling access to cashless treatment and digital health records. Patients showing symptoms of serious ailments are being referred to district hospitals and higher medical centres for specialised care.Data released by the district administration shows that, as of May 10, a total of 1,03,474 people have been screened out of the targeted population of 1,68,645. As many as 792 patients have been referred to higher centres for advanced treatment.Officials say the campaign is building awareness around preventive health practices. With continuous monitoring and field-level follow-up, the administration hopes to strengthen last-mile healthcare delivery in the insurgency-affected region.The initiative, being run under the slogan “Mawa Sehat, Mawa Bastar” (my health, my Bastar), is seen as a key step towards improving health indicators in Bastar’s interior belts.