The Ministry of Health (MoH), represented by the School and University Health Department, will pay more focus on ensuring a healthy and safe environment that enhances health practices in the school community, for the positive and effective link between students' academic achievement and their physical, mental, psychological and social development, just as students will begin a new academic year in a few days.
This effort stems from the ministry’s positioning of school and university health as one of the most important priorities for promoting health in the community and an essential element in primary health care, as school students from the age group of 7 to 18 years constitute an important segment of society in the Sultanate of Oman.
Speaking to the Observer, Dr Anoud al Badi, Acting Director of the School Health Department at the Ministry, said that the Ministry of Health is keen to intensify all efforts that would enhance the health of school students and the rest of the school community in an integrated manner.
“We are constantly working to enhance school health by implementing comprehensive health programmes aimed at providing therapeutic and preventive health services that include the physical and psychological aspects of the school community,” Dr Anoud said.
The Ministry of Health also places its focus and vision on ‘ a physically healthy, mentally and psychologically sound, scientifically distinguished and socially interactive school and university generation’ by providing an integrated system of preventive, therapeutic and promotional services and employing governance to keep pace with life circumstances to create a safe and healthy environment.
The number of service providers in school health has reached 742 male and female nurses distributed throughout all the governorates of the Sultanate of Oman where the number of schools with clinics according to the latest statistics reached 94 per cent.
"The National Strategy for School Health is in line with the priorities of Oman Vision 2040 to develop a health system with international standards by providing comprehensive and fair health care in the various governorates of the Sultanate of Oman," Dr Anoud said.
She further said that various programmes and activities are being implemented to promote the health of school students, adolescents, university and college students, based on the commitment to providing preventive and promotive services.
She stressed that the therapeutic services for students are provided through the school health clinics, which are equipped with the necessary equipment and devices to provide students at the beginning of each year, and provide health services including first aid, transferring cases to the school's affiliated health institutions and following up on them.
The programme of health-promoting higher education institutions also aims to promote healthy behaviours such as physical activity, healthy nutrition, avoiding smoking and psychotropic substances among students, and making the university environment healthy and safe. The department is keen to provide basic health services in institutions as the students are about to begin a new academic year.
This is in addition to equipping the school health clinic with the necessary devices and equipment to provide school health services to students.
SCHOOL HEALTH PROGRAMMES
- Expanded immunisation programmes for grades 1 to 6
- Health awareness and education programme
- Early detection services for students in grades 1, 7 and 10
- Eye health programme for students in grades 1,4,7 and 10
- Oral and dental health programme for students in grades 1 and 2
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