23 Jul School Health Services Modernization
School Health Services Modernization – Today Current Affairs
GS Paper-II, Polity,Constitution,Governance,Social Justice and International Relations)
Source: The Hindu
Today Current Affairs
What’s the problem?
After a protracted closure in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, children across India are returning to school for in-person instruction.
Therefore, it is time for practical policy initiatives and actions aimed at schoolchildren.
What is the current issue? The Hindu Analysis
Because health-care needs are linked with medical needs, school health programmes sometimes receive little governmental attention.
Despite having a low overall incidence of illness (and hence less needs for medical treatment), children of school age do have a variety of age-specific health needs. The Hindu Analysis
These health requirements are related to unhealthful eating patterns, erratic sleeping patterns, insufficient exercise, mental, dental, and vision issues, sexual behaviour, and the use of cigarettes and other drugs, addiction, etc.
Then, it is recognised that the lifestyle choices made and the health knowledge acquired while still in school will persist into adulthood and serve as the basis for their future conduct.
How did India’s school health services develop? The Hindu Analysis
The first known instance of school health care in India dates back to 1909, when the then-presidency of Baroda started examining students for medical conditions.
In 1946, the Sir Joseph Bhore committee noted that India’s school health services were inadequate and essentially nonexistent. The Hindu Analysis
The Government of India’s secondary education committee suggested extensive policy changes in 1953 that addressed school nutrition and health initiatives.
As a result, a few carefully chosen States oversaw programmatic initiatives with a primary focus on nutrition.
What exactly is the FRESH method? The Hindu Analysis
Lack of knowledge and clarity regarding what defines well-functioning and efficient school health services is one of the causes of improperly planned school health services.
Focusing Resources on Effective School Health (FRESH) is an inter-agency framework that was released by the World Bank, UNICEF, WHO, UNESCO, and UNICEF.
Four primary topics and three auxiliary strategies are suggested by the FRESH framework and tools. The Hindu Analysis
According to the key areas, school health services should concentrate on water, sanitation, and environmental policy as well as skills-based health education, school-based health, and nutrition services.
Effective collaborations between the health and education sectors, community partnerships, and student involvement are among the supporting strategies.
What further rules exist? The Hindu Analysis
US CDC – According to the recommendations made by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, school health services should concentrate on four key areas.
Acute and emergency treatment, family involvement, chronic illness management, and care coordination are these four areas. The Hindu Analysis
WHO – The WHO recommends that local need assessments be used to guide the development of school health services.
Health promotion, health education, screening that leads to care and/or referral, and support should all be included.
The goal of school health services must be the promotion of good health, prevention of disease, early diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up, raising children’s health awareness, and making it possible to provide a healthy learning environment. The Hindu Analysis
As part of the health-promoting schools (HPS) effort, these strategies have been effectively applied in numerous nations.
What potential exists for reopening schools? The Hindu Analysis
There is a need and an opportunity for a proactive approach to having increased and strengthened school health services once schools reopen to their full capacity. Here are some recommendations.
Every Indian State must assess the situation, develop a plan for improving school health services, and include a specific schedule and funding allocation.
The health sector grant from the Fifteenth Finance Commission should and might be used as leverage.Construct the current infrastructure for school health; the renewed emphasis must include all-inclusive, preventative, promotive, and curative services with a functional referral connection. The Hindu Analysis
Just like physical activity sessions are a part of teaching, health discussions and lifestyle sessions (conducted by schoolteachers and invited medical and health experts) should be included.
Online consultations for physical and mental health issues should be added to school health clinics. This may serve as a crucial springboard for de-stigmatizing mental health care. The role of parents should be expanded, as should their involvement, particularly through parent-teacher conferences.
- Most of the time, private schools are not included in the government’s programmes for school health care.
- Children attending both government-run and private schools should be cared for by school health services. The Hindu Analysis
- Early in 2020, the Ayushman Bharat programme launched a school health project, but its execution is not up to par.
This effort has to be reviewed, the budget committed to it needs to be increased to bring in more human resources, and performance monitoring based on actual outcome indicators is needed. The duty to maintain the children’s health and education falls on elected officials, professional associations of public health, and paediatricians. According to reports, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has suggested routine health screenings for kids.
What follows? The Hindu Analysis
Every Indian State’s health policy makers and programme managers are responsible for acting in the children’s best interests at all times.
Every Indian State’s Education and Health Departments must collaborate to improve school health services. The Hindu Analysis
To guarantee better health and high-quality education for every child, it is important to bring together children, parents, teachers, experts in the health and education sectors, and the Departments of Health and Education.
Comprehensive school health services shall be made available in every Indian State as a result of the convergence of the National Health Policy, 2017, and National Education Policy, 2020.
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