Siliguri, April 5: The Air Force Wives’ Welfare Association today conducted a health camp at Bairagini Jote, a village around 1 km south of the air force base at Bagdogra.

Situated in the malaria-prone Naxalbari block, the village was “adopted” by the association in 2004. Since then, association members have initiated several development activities to improve the living conditions of the residents there.

An 18-member team, including four doctors and 12 paramedics, today held a camp at the village at the behest of Shalini Chandramouli, the president of the Bagdogra unit of the association. Around 150 men, women and children were examined and medicine distributed among them.

“We found a number of cases of anaemia in the village. These have to be rectified with iron tablets, de-worming and a nutritious diet,” said public health specialist Lt Col Sanjiv Kumar, who is on deputation from the army. “Dental check-ups revealed that several children were infected with caries. These children had to be taken to the base hospital for fillings.”

Larva-eating guppy fish were dropped in the village pond today and the people were advised to use mosquito nets at night. The fish are reared in tanks maintained by defence personnel as part of a project supervised by Group Captain Chandramouli, the station commander of the Bagdogra air base. Safe drinking water is also being arranged for the people.