Chirayu scheme: 40 tribal children in Mohla-Manpur get free surgeries
Synopsis
In one of Chhattisgarh's newest tribal districts, 40 children with congenital ailments — many from forest hamlets where surgery was once unimaginable — have been operated on free under the Chirayu scheme. It is a quiet but telling test of whether last-mile child health outreach can finally reach families the formal system has long missed.
Key Takeaways
40 children in Chhattisgarh's Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki district have undergone successful surgeries under the Chirayu scheme .
The scheme is a joint initiative of the Centre and the Chhattisgarh government , covering diagnosis, surgery and care at no cost.
Conditions treated include congenital heart defects and hearing impairments .
Health Department teams are conducting village-level screenings across remote forest areas.
The programme builds on the existing RBSK child health framework.
At least 40 children from poor families in Chhattisgarh's Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki district have undergone successful surgeries under the Chirayu health scheme, a joint initiative of the Centre and the Chhattisgarh government, officials said. The programme is targeting children with congenital and serious ailments in remote forest hamlets where medical care was earlier financially out of reach.
What the scheme covers
Under the Chirayu Scheme, children suffering from a range of serious conditions — including congenital heart defects and hearing impairments — are identified through village-level screenings and routed to specialised healthcare institutions for free treatment. Diagnostic tests, surgical procedures and post-operative care are covered end-to-end, according to officials in the state Health Department.
Reaching the last mile
Teams from the Health Department are travelling to villages across Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki, one of Chhattisgarh's newest and most forested districts, to identify children needing surgical intervention. Many of the families targeted live deep in tribal belts where access to tertiary paediatric care has historically been minimal.
Officials said a marked improvement in the children's health has been observed following the surgeries, with families describing the intervention as a lifeline.
What families are saying
Parents of some of the children said they had earlier been unable to afford treatment, and credited the Chirayu outreach team with stepping in. “They facilitated the diagnostic tests and arranged for the surgery. For this, we extend our heartfelt thanks to the government and the Health Department,” one parent said.
Families that had, in their own words, given up hope of recovery are now reportedly seeing their children return to normal life.
Why it matters
Chhattisgarh has among the highest tribal population shares of any Indian state, and districts like Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki carry a heavy burden of untreated paediatric conditions due to distance, cost and awareness gaps. Schemes like Chirayu, which builds on the older Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) framework, aim to bridge that gap by linking village screenings to free surgical care at empanelled hospitals.
What's next
Health Department teams are expected to expand screenings to additional villages in the district, with continued focus on congenital heart defects, hearing impairments and other surgically correctable conditions. Sustained follow-up care will be critical to ensuring long-term outcomes for the children already operated upon.
Point of View
But the geography is what matters. Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki is the kind of district that rarely shows up on health dashboards, and congenital heart defects in tribal belts have historically been a silent killer because families never made it to a tertiary hospital. The real test of Chirayu is not the surgeries already done, but whether the screening cadre can sustain village-level outreach and whether post-operative follow-up holds up. Without that, last-mile schemes risk becoming photo-op interventions rather than systemic fixes.
NationPress
20 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Chirayu health scheme?
Chirayu is a joint Centre-Chhattisgarh government child health initiative that identifies children with serious congenital and other ailments through village screenings and provides free diagnosis, surgery and treatment at specialised hospitals. It operates within the broader Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) framework.
How many children have benefited in Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki?
At least 40 children from the Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki district have undergone successful surgeries under the scheme so far, according to officials. Families have reported a marked improvement in the children's health post-surgery.
What conditions are covered under the scheme?
The scheme covers a range of serious paediatric conditions including congenital heart defects and hearing impairments. Diagnostic tests, surgical procedures and follow-up care are provided free of cost to eligible families.
Who is eligible for treatment under Chirayu?
Children identified by Health Department screening teams as suffering from congenital or other serious conditions are eligible, with a focus on poor and tribal families in remote areas. Outreach teams visit villages to identify cases and route them to empanelled hospitals.
How are children identified for treatment?
Teams from the Chhattisgarh Health Department travel to villages across the district to conduct screenings and identify children needing surgical or specialist care. Once identified, the children are referred to specialised institutions for free treatment.
