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Schools told to play bigger role to safeguard students’ health

DUBAI - Schools will have to alter their clinics in order to be in line with the emirate’s new health policies that also include changes in provision of immunisation services.

New policies and guidelines issued by the Dubai Health Authority require schools to take more responsibility of the health of their students by indirectly urging the schools to invest more on upgrading their medical facilities and staff.

“Earlier, nurses from the authority used to provide vaccine services to individual schools, but now the school nurses will be performing this duty,” said Dr Marwan Mohammed Akhund, Assistant Director of the Health Regulation Department at the authority.

“Each school already has licenced nurses so this is also better utilisation of staff,” he said. Schools will also be, by default, licenced as Vaccine Qualified Clinics (VCQ), a new requirement by DHA under its childhood immunisation policy.

This also means schools will have to maintain a cold chain, from transportation of the vaccine to storage facilities, said the official. The school’s medical staff will also be responsible for ensuring the safety and storage of the vaccine.

The DHA will continue providing the vaccines and medical items such as needles, syringes and hand sanitisers.

However, the authority requires schools to collect vaccines a day prior to the vaccination programme, administer the vaccine by a licenced school nurse or doctor, get parents’ consent, submit annual vaccine estimation and also maintain a documentation to be sent to the school health unit at the authority.As reported by Khaleej Times earlier this week, a number of schools reacted negatively to the policy change since it requires initial investment. Schools said they would stop providing the services to curb costs with some saying that the number of children being vaccinated by the schools was only a handful.

However, the authority has said schools will be held liable for any disregard to the issue of vaccination which is a public health right provided by the UAE government.

Upon admission, each school is required to maintain a vaccination record of the child and if parents give consent, the student is administered a vaccine. On an average, a student receives up to six vaccines during the school years from Grade 1 to 10.

In a circular issued last week, the authority warned the schools: “It is strictly prohibited to discontinue the vaccination programme in the schools as long as parents are giving consent to have their children vaccinated in school.”

“And you must continue the vaccination programme, even if the number of parents who wish to immunise their children in school are few compared to the total school population,” it said.

asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com