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Question

Identification of '4Ds' is a key element of which National Health Programme ?

The correct answer is
RBSK (Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram)

Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) and the '4Ds'

The Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK), launched in February 2013 under the National Health Mission, is a child health screening and early intervention programme. Its defining feature is the systematic screening of children (birth to 18 years) for the '4Ds':

  • Defects at birth (e.g., neural tube defects, cleft lip/palate, congenital cataract, clubfoot, congenital heart disease)
  • Deficiencies (e.g., vitamin A/D deficiency, severe acute malnutrition, anaemia)
  • Diseases (e.g., otitis media, rheumatic heart disease, dental caries, skin conditions)
  • Development delays including Disabilities (e.g., vision/hearing impairment, neuro-motor and cognitive delays, autism, learning disorders)

Screening is carried out at Anganwadi centres and schools by dedicated Mobile Health Teams, with confirmed cases referred through District Early Intervention Centres (DEICs) for free management, including tertiary care and surgery. The '4Ds' framework is therefore a defining, named element unique to RBSK.

Why the Other Options Are Incorrect

  • IMNCI (Integrated Management of Neonatal and Childhood Illness): A case-management strategy for treating common childhood illnesses (diarrhoea, pneumonia, malaria, malnutrition) in children under 5 and neonates. It does not use a '4Ds' screening framework.
  • ICDS (Integrated Child Development Scheme): A broader scheme delivering supplementary nutrition, immunization, health check-ups, and pre-school education through Anganwadi centres. It supports overall child development but has no '4Ds' identification component of its own — RBSK screening is in fact conducted at ICDS Anganwadi centres, not the reverse.
  • JSSK (Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram): Guarantees free and cashless delivery services (including caesarean section) and free treatment for sick newborns and infants up to one year, covering costs like drugs, diagnostics, diet, and transport. It is an entitlement scheme for cashless care, not a screening programme, and has no '4Ds' concept.

Since the '4Ds' (Defects at birth, Deficiencies, Diseases, Development delays/Disabilities) are the specific and defining screening framework of RBSK, Option 4 — RBSK (Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram) is the correct answer.

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Important Questions from National Child Health Programmes

  1. Which one of the following vaccines is NOT included in Mission Indradhanush?
  2. According to the 'Integrated Management of Neonatal and Childhood Illnesses' (IMNCI) classification of young infants upto 2 months, which one of the following signs is NOT included in 'Possible Serious Bacterial Infection'

  3. Neonatal tetanus elimination in India is defined as less than one case per:
  4. Which one of the following facilities has been established at district hospitals in India to strengthen the care of low birth weight babies and sick newborns?

  5. The specific goals for 2025 under the integrated Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Pneumonia and Diarrhea (GAPPD) are all of the following EXCEPT:

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