Knowledge
Why every school must have a well-equipped infirmary with a set of rules in place ?
Most schools are ready to have an ambulance parked at their facility in case of any unforeseen event where the child can be immediately rushed off to the hospital, but they aren’t ready to employ a doctor to be on campus to oversee such events.
The importance of the safety of our children cannot be stressed enough. Be it at home or in school, the lives and safety of our young ones are of utmost importance.
With the best schools around the country providing multiple facilities, is it safe to say that these schools are also adequately equipped with infirmaries or ‘sick rooms’ to tend to our children if and when necessary? Every school must make it a norm to provide facilities to enable health support not only to their students but to their staff as well.
Slips and trips are a part of the hustle and bustle of any school, but they could result in serious injuries. The school management should have standard guidelines that must be set and followed in respect to health and safety.
Health Corner
The infirmaries at school need not only be used to tend to cuts and bruises. They can be used in a number of ways, including to…
1. Store medical/ health equipment
2. Conduct health exams
3. Give urgent care to injured or sick students and for them to rest/recover
4. Give counselling and guidance to students with physical or emotional troubles
5. Gather and use health-related information
6. Plan and teach injury and disease prevention
7. Develop teaching materials for the promotion of child health and development
8. Study and understand health-related issues at school
Involvement of staff
A member of the schools teaching staff could be assigned to being the head of the infirmary. This teacher would require an understanding of health related knowledge or skill or could work with a health specialist outside the school. The school could also organise activities together to increase health awareness. When the infirmary is incorporated into many aspects of education, it becomes much easier to understand health issues and coordinate activities to improve health.
The Basics
Any school infirmary must always be equipped with a first aid box which must always be replenished as and when used. It should contain the following -scissors, tweezers, nail clippers, cotton swabs, sling, bandages, rubber gloves, thermometer, gauze, splint, adhesive bandages, mesh/net bandage, cotton wool, eye patch, disinfectant, compress, stomach medicine, pain medicine, motion sickness medicine, eye medicine, anti-itch medicine (for insect bites), sanitary napkins, notepad, pen, penlight, medical gloves, etc.
A qualified nurse should be present at all times during the working hours of the school. Medical equipment such as beds, stethoscopes, wheelchair, etc should be available.
Medical check-ups for students and staff should be provided at regular intervals.
Effective Management
Setting up the following areas will help create an effective infirmary:
(1) First Aid station – near the entrance of the infirmary, with convenient access to cold and hot water – organize first aid equipment and medicines for easy access
(2) Resting Area – located where the teacher/staff can easily monitor the child – use curtains or partitions to create a space where the child can feel safe and relaxed – have clean bedclothes available for students
(3) Counselling Area – use curtains or partitions to make an area where children can get counselling in a private, safe environment
(4) Health Exam Area – set up measurement equipment so that students can use them freely – post explanations of how to use equipment and physical development information/ benchmarks
(5) Health Education Resource Area – keep health education-related books, pamphlets, and videos for easy reference
(6) Bulletin Board – post information on health goals and activities, related printed materials
(7) Office – set up a desk where the responsible teacher can survey the entire infirmary, and efficiently receive students
Taking Responsibility
Are we following everything to ensure children’s safety? Why do most schools shy away from taking responsibility when it comes to children’s health? Most schools are ready to have an ambulance parked at their facility in case of any unforeseen event where the child can be immediately rushed off to the hospital, but they aren’t ready to employ a doctor to be on campus to oversee such events.
It goes to say that the schools are more interested in protecting themselves than taking responsibility. What needs to be understood is that when a child is seriously injured, every moment is crucial from the moment of getting injured to receiving the right medical help. There must not be a moment of hesitation for the school to step forward and take that responsibility to make sure that the child is given the required medical help and not just put the child into an ambulance and whisk them away and wash their hands off the entire incident.
Some schools would argue about the expense they would incur in hiring a full time doctor. However, employing a doctor on campus will not only ensure that the required treatment will be received at the earliest, but on the financial front schools must come to realise that the overall salary paid to the doctor divided by the number of students at school will not amount to much. This amount could be added to the children’s fee.
Talking to a number of parents, they were in agreement to including an amount during the academic year to go towards paying the on campus doctor.
Kavitha Arun whose daughter Vyshnavi goes to a reputed school in Bangalore says, “I would rather see my child immediately tended to by a professional than just being dumped into an ambulance and sent away to the hospital. It becomes extremely important for the school to start taking responsibility while our children are in their care.”
Another parent, a practicising paediatrician, Dr Ravindran says, “In certain cases it makes all the difference to a child’s life if they are assessed and provided immediate treatment. The first few moments are crucial to assess the situation and timely treatment goes a long way (sometimes in saving the life of a child) before deciding to transfer the child to a hospital.”
Having a well-equipped infirmary is not only needed at school, but must become mandatory. A set of rules or standards must be in place to ensure that the staff and students at school receive the best possible treatment. Children will be children – it’s our responsibility to ensure they receive timely care.