Dubai: Schoolchildren are the most vulnerable section of the population in terms of infectious and communicable diseases like chicken pox, measles, mumps, and scabies, as well as accidents, making it imperative for health and education authorities to unify efforts to raise the health standards among children.
Last year, the Ministry of Health conducted clinical tests for students in grades one, five and nine; the screened cases included 954 infectious diseases, 2,934 obesity, 2,033 optical refractive disorders, 1,402 asthma, and 1,295 nutrition deficiency.
According to the World Health Organistaion (WHO), an effective school health programme can be one of the most cost-effective investments a nation can make to simultaneously improve education and health.
The school health programme consists of eight basic modules: health services, health education, school environment, school nutrition, physical education, psychiatric services, social health services, and health enhancement for school employees.
Gulf News contacted the ministry and the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) to learn about school health programmes in place for the academic year ahead.
The ministry’s activities include screenings, follow up of positive cases, oral and dental health, vaccination, infectious disease control, first-aid services, obesity control, asthma awareness and tobacco control.
The school health department also conducts annual height, weight, and eye and body mass index (BMI) tests.
Dr Ola Mira, head of the School Health Department at the ministry, said that early screening through the ministry’s preventive programmes assists both students and their respective families in providing the correct treatment and preventing complications that may exist with chronic conditions.
Dr Mira said the programmes are aimed to cover all the eight modules.
“These modules are interconnected and involve students, parents and administration staff at schools. Early screening is part of our efforts towards preventive health care, and includes vaccinations and dental services.”
The objectives of the DHA regarding school health range from ensuring safe and effective practice in the school clinic to increasing awareness of pupils on health matters related to their age through regular health education programmes and preventing and controlling communicable diseases in the schools.
For the 2012-2013 academic year, the DHA will tailor its programmes to address three medical conditions among students, said Amal Ali Al Mehrezi, head of School Health and Education Institutions, Health Regulation Department from the authority.
The DHA will concentrate on asthma, diabetes and thalassemia.
We will conduct workshops at schools involving parents to increase awareness, she said.
Amal explained that the authority has planned three events in September. “These are private school principals meeting, school health annual programme guideline and policies’ update for doctors and nurses and management of emergencies at schools for doctors and nurses in private schools,” she said.
