Most schools have first aid and a dedicated ambulance to handle any medical emergencies. An infirmary and a paediatrician are rarely heard of as belonging to the ecosystem of a school.
When it comes to taking steps towards development of the children, schools pay a lot of attention to their intellectual development. While it is expected that schools take care of the intellectual growth of the students through academics, they also ought to do something about their actual, physical development.
Having a first aid box and an ambulance at disposal isn’t enough. Schools are capable of doing more and ought to do so too. Incorporating an infirmary and a paediatrician, for instance, expands the horizon of the minimum that is expected from a school.
There are 9 reasons why schools should have an infirmary and paediatrician:
- No student would like to be packed off to a hospital in an ambulance. No parents would approve of a school sending their children away. Yes, emergencies can happen at any time and a school is expected to be better equipped to handle them.
- Transporting children to a hospital takes time. The commute itself may cause serious, further damage to the problem.
- Physical well-being is not a matter of exceptional situations. Health is not about an annual check-up of weight, height, dental hygiene, or a nutrition chart.
- Health is about everyday practice. In order to inculcate habits of good health, one needs to ensure that there is an environment which pays attention to health everyday. A dedicated infirmary ensures that.
- Students are always engaging in sports. They may get hurt and bruised and in some cases, mere first aid is only the first step towards proper treatment.
- When students share their food and accidentally eat something they’re allergic to, they need immediate attention.
- An infirmary is a dedicated space where students can rest or recover when they need medical attention. Other spaces like classrooms or teachers’ room do not have the right facilities.
- In the process of helping so many children battle any health issues, schools can become rich repositories of knowledge, which can in turn, help other pediatricians in the city to get a better understanding of what is happening. This is especially crucial in the case of an epidemic.
- Schools become active partners with parents in promoting overall health of children. Parents can rest assured that the schools are doing more than teaching different subjects.
When it comes to doing activities that help students grow better and healthier, sports are not enough.
Safety and security of children need not be restricted to surveillance equipment. A student, healthy in both body and mind, is the complete responsibility of the school, especially when away from home, and in school premises.
The best of the schools go beyond having first aid and ambulance basic measures in place to address anything related to physical well-being.
So how many of the schools around you have an infirmary or even a paediatrician?