Ensuring school health services

The provincial health and education sectors are proactively coordinating closely in implementing school health programs, ensuring hygiene, food safety, and disease prevention and control, creating a safe and healthy learning environment for students.

Speaking with reporters, Mr. Tran Xuan Hung, Deputy Director of the Provincial Center for Disease Control, said: "We have coordinated with relevant agencies to develop inter-agency guidelines on school health work in educational institutions, tailored to the local situation. At the same time, we have instructed health units to closely monitor disease outbreaks, especially infectious diseases with a high risk of spreading in school environments. Monitoring and early detection of cases and outbreaks will be carried out regularly, especially in schools with a large number of boarding and day students, to ensure timely response and prevent disease outbreaks."

Right from the beginning of the school year, schools throughout the province have simultaneously organized a comprehensive cleaning of school buildings, functional classrooms, restrooms, kitchens, dormitories, and boarding facilities... to ensure a clean, airy, and well-lit environment, contributing to the effective prevention and control of school-related illnesses and disabilities.

At Muong Khuong Secondary School, school health services are always prioritized to ensure the health of students and staff. The school's health room has been adequately equipped with facilities to meet the requirements for examination and initial first aid in emergency situations. Recently, school health staff, in coordination with homeroom teachers, conducted a campaign to raise awareness among students about preventing and controlling conjunctivitis, advising them to practice good personal hygiene to control the spread of the disease within the school.

To ensure primary healthcare for students, schools in the area closely coordinate with health stations and sub-stations in implementing school health activities. Schools with on-site kitchens in the province have signed commitments with food suppliers, strictly adhering to food safety and hygiene regulations. These kitchens are inspected regularly, contributing to protecting students' health. Thanks to this coordinated effort, primary healthcare for students is being effectively implemented, creating a safe and healthy learning environment and improving the overall quality of education.

According to the 2024-2025 school year report, in the former Lao Cai province alone, the total number of students injured in accidents across all educational levels was 1,941. Of these, the highest percentage was due to falls (73.42%), followed by animal bites (6.23%), cuts to hands and feet (13.65%), and traffic accidents (4.53%). This reality highlights the need to pay more attention to and strengthen accident prevention and control efforts for students in schools.

Recently, the Ban Phiệt Health Station collaborated with Ban Phiệt Primary School in Lao Cai Ward to organize a health education and awareness session for all staff, teachers, and students. During the session, health officials provided basic knowledge about common accidents in the school environment such as falls, burns, drowning, choking, electric shock, etc., and instructed on initial first aid and effective prevention measures. This activity contributed to raising students' self-protection awareness and equipped teachers and school staff with the skills to handle emergency situations promptly.

Ms. Tran Thi Lien, Head of the Population, Communication and Health Education Department at the Lao Cai - Cam Duong Regional Health Center, shared: "Thematic talks will also be organized to improve knowledge and skills in reproductive health care for adolescents, child marriage, and consanguineous marriage for students in junior and senior high schools. Through these activities, students will be educated about adolescent issues; characteristics of puberty in males and females; friendships between the sexes, sexuality, and psychophysiological changes during puberty; risks of teenage pregnancy; and the consequences of child marriage and consanguineous marriage... helping them equip themselves with knowledge about reproductive health care and develop positive and healthy life skills."

However, school health services currently face several challenges, such as: a relatively high percentage of schools lacking qualified medical staff; and some school health workers not meeting the minimum qualification of a medical assistant as stipulated in Joint Circular No. 13/2016/TTLT-BYT-BGDĐT. The shortage of both the quantity and quality of school health personnel affects their ability to provide care, first aid, and prevent school-related illnesses.

School health services are one of the key factors contributing to the creation of a safe and high-quality educational environment. Overcoming difficulties, with close and coordinated cooperation between the education and health sectors and the active involvement of local authorities, the 2025-2026 school year is expected to take place under conditions that maximize the health of students, contributing to improving the overall quality of education.

Presented by: Thi Khanh

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/dam-bao-cong-tac-y-te-hoc-duong-post884081.html