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Dr. Mahmoud Fikri, Assistant Undersecretary for Health Policies at the Ministry of Health, stated that there are 9 central clinics to provide school health services in Dubai and the emirates Sharjah, Ajman, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah and Umm Al Quwain. The number of school health clinics in the public schools reached 408 clinics (93.7% coverage) with 261 part and full time nurses. The ministry of Health has 299 nursing staff or every 463 students.
The number of public schools reached 419 schools in Dubai and in emirates of Sharjah, Ajman, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah and Umm Al Quwain with a total number of 138,510 students of 64,309 boys and 74,201 girls.
Dr. Fikri emphasized that the school health program depends on several strategies and provides activities and services to be applied in schools for the purpose of supporting and enhancing the physical, mental, social and psychiatric development of students.
He said: "The program also includes 8 main topics such as school health services, health education and enhancement, school environment, school health, psychiatric consultancy services, social support, physical education, students and employees health in schools. Health school programs are very important as they also include charitable schools, technology institutes, higher colleges of technology and sometimes private schools for certain considerations".
He also revealed that the general goal of the health services is to raise the health standards of students through enhancement, preventive and treatment services, control infectious diseases, provide vaccinations and early screenings of diseases in schools. The program also follows up the non-infectious diseases and provides first aid services for emergency cases as well as dental services.
School Health Policy Dr. Fikri stated that the school health program aims at improving the health of students of all stages and employees in all public and private schools. The school health also aims at raising the health understandings among students and enhancing cooperation between the ministries of health and education as well as other related bodies.
General Goals of School Health Program The general goals and objectives of the school health program aims at raising the health standards of students through enhancement, preventive and treatment services, providing students and their families and employees with the required trends, information, skills and behaviors that enable them to follow correct healthy lifestyles that would prevent them from diseases.
The program also aims at providing an environment free of healthy risks, nutritious healthy lifestyles for students, correct health behaviors and enhancing physical education among students.
Last year, witnessed the reformation of the higher committee of school health committee to encourage the support and unification of school health outcomes.
In this regard, Dr. Mariam Al Matroushi, Director of Health Legislations Department and Supervisor of School Health Programs in the Ministry of Health, emphasized that the program achieved positive results in the public schools. It raised the health standards of students through enhancement, preventive and treatment services; increased the coverage percentage at schools; organized early screening programs and provided treatment for ill cases too.
The program’s team members trained the school employees on first aid techniques and increased the numbers of schools to deal with emergency cases. The program also targets early screening programs of infectious diseases and applies preventive medicine services dental health care programs in all the school health departments.
According to the statistics of the school health department, there are 9 central clinics which provide school health services in Dubai and the the emirates Sharjah, Ajman, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah and Umm Al Quwain.
The total number of school clinics in public schools reached 4058 clinics (93.7%) coverage. About 261 part time nurses cover the public schools. The Ministry of Health has 299 general nurses for every 463 students.
The number of doctors in school health departments reached 11 male and female doctors for 12,592 students in the public schools.
Since the beginning of 2007, school health doctors were included in the primary health sector in Ras Al Khaimah and extended to the other medical districts in order to implement the set plan and timeline.
The number of private schools in these emirates reached 289 schools with a total number of 176,603 students of which 92,903 boys and 83,700 girls (based on the statistics of the ministry of education).
The school health program was developed to oversee private schools through the appointment of nurses in schools. The preventive medicine services were implemented in all the public schools.
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