Deepak Kumar, a Class VI student of a government middle school at Mindichak in Bhagalpur, suffers from mild cerebral palsy. The 13-year-old boy got his health card about a year ago. But he is still waiting for the benefits that the “card” had on offer.

“His complication was identified by doctors and we were assured that he would be referred to a better health facility in the state capital. But we have not heard from them thereafter and my son’s plight continues,” said his father Babloo Shah, who works as a daily wager to support his family.

Deepak got the health card at a camp organised at his school by the district health society under New Generation Health Card Scheme. But not all students of the school are as lucky as Deepak.

“We have 164 students in the school. Doctors visited the school once, conducted health check-up for the students but the health cards were given to a few of them. Most children have not received the cards yet,” said Kalyani Kumari, the principal of the school.

In March 2011, Bihar became the first state in the country that planned to issue health cards to 3.4 crore children up to 14 years.

The plan was to issue cards to children up to six years through hospitals and those above the age through schools and anganwadi centres in co-ordination with the education and the social welfare departments.

Besides offering out patient department facilities and free medicines, the health cards, valid for five years, were also meant to facilitate specialised medical treatment in premier hospitals like AIIMS, PGIMER, Chandigarh and SGPGI, Lucknow.

The scheme on which the state spent about Rs 135 crore last year and has incorporated it with National Rural Health Scheme this year also includes adolescent girls below the age of 18.

The cards were planned to be issued to about 3.4 crore children in 70,000 state schools and 11,000 health sub-centres and additional public healthcare centres across the state ahead of October 2 last year.

“As part of the scheme, medical camps are planned to be organised every year — for which the government has earmarked an annual budget of Rs 125 crore, the health cards will also enable parents to seek follow-up treatment for their children at primary health centres or block hospitals. Besides, serious medical complications will be referred to the country’s premier institutes, with the government bearing the expenses,” a senior health officer said.

Pointing out that it is difficult to monitor children up to six years under the existing system, the official said the health card scheme was aimed at treating several medical problems at initial stages.

“Findings and surveys suggest that most students have eyesight, dental and skin problems. Cleft lips and congenital heart diseases, and even diabetes and hypertension, were detected in some schoolchildren. Health cards are aimed to monitor the next generation,” he said.

The health cards are designed to have full data, including weight, height, ENT and dental records. Skin disease tests are also mandatory as part of the scheme.

The ambitious project, as it turns out, has mostly remained on paper and has only been partly implemented.

In its own records, the government has only been able to cover about 43 per cent of the target so far and just about 53,000 kids with severe health complications have been referred to bigger hospitals.

Most of the districts report very slow pace of the scheme owing to lack of proper planning, training, resources and thorough monitoring.

In the camps, doctors hurriedly conduct a few of the stipulated tests, complained many school principals.

At a primary school in Sahiya of Gaya district, a camp was organised in September last year.

Of the 380 children who attended the camp, cards were made for 165. But the irony is, even those cards have not been distributed among the students.

Nisha Kumari, a student of Class V who underwent various check-ups during the camp, said she has not been given the card despite having demanded for it. “There have not been any follow-up camps either,” she said.

Officials admitted that the capacity had been a roadblock in achieving the desired results.

“Only about 1.5 crore children have been covered so far. We are, however, trying our best to ensure that beneficiaries avail all that the scheme has on offer,” said Sanjay Kumar, executive director, Bihar State Health Society.

Health minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey blamed the mess on lack of coordination between the education, health and welfare departments and shortage of attendance in the schools.

“I acknowledge that our ambitious project has not yet achieved full success in most of the districts. Also students who remain absent on the day the camps are organised at their schools miss out on the scheme. We are planning to give a momentum to the scheme from June,” said Choubey.