KHANEWAL, May 17: As many as 56,130 students studying in 433 primary schools of 26 union councils of this district are suffering from eye, ear and skin diseases out of which 36,508 are having poor eyesight.

Dr. Arif Saeed, district programme manager (health) of the National Commission for Human Development (NCHD), said this while speaking at a seminar titled ‘Role of Community in Health Promotion’ organised by the NCHD here the other day.

He said the commission imparted training to 1,749 teachers during a programme to identify diseases among the primary class students. After identification of diseases, he said glasses were provided to 760 students besides medication to a number of students for ear and skin diseases by the NCHD’s health promotion team.

Speaking on the occasion, Mian Iftikhar, the programme manager of the Islamic Aid Organisation (IAO), said his organisation was desirous to vaccinate 30,000 students so as to save them from Hepatitis B.

He said the IAO in association with the NCHD and local non-government organisations and volunteers would launch this programme soon.