School administrator advocates functional health facilities in schools
By Jacinta Nwachukwu/Veronica Dariya
Mrs Francisca Ifeanyichukwu, the Head of School, New Ideas Academy, Bwari, has advocated the availability of functional health facilities at all school premises.
Ifeanyichukwu made the call, while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondent, who visited the school on Tuesday in Abuja on a survey to check the school’s health facility.
She explained even though the academy did not operate a boarding session, it was only appropriate for it and other schools to ensure functional first aid kits were available at all times in case of any casualty.
“It is something that is essential for all schools, irrespective, because these are children of different ages and anything can happen at any time. We do not pray for it though.
“However, all schools must be ready to first aid treatment to their students if the need arises.
“If it becomes worse, a vehicle must be ready to take the victim to the nearest hospital in the company of at least, a teacher.
“It is not just about having an empty sick bay or empty first aid box but school administrators must ensure they have all the vitals available, to forestall a worst case scenario.”
Ifeanyichukwu said that her school did not keep drugs among its first aid kits because they would not administer drugs without proper prescriptions.
She, however, explained that the kits had in them, bandages, plasters, methylated spirits, iodine, hand gloves and other precautionary essentials.
According to her, should there be any case of a student fainting, we have trained hands who can give Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) or mouth to mouth resuscitation, after pouring water on the victim.
“If it doesn’t work, we have school vehicles at standby to take the victim to the Bwari General Hospital, which is not far away from us.
“We pray for no such ills though.”
She also encouraged Non-Governmental Organisations to give support and donate to schools towards building or enhancing already existing health facilities.
NAN correspondent was also at Government Secondary School, Kuduru in Bwari, to ascertain the existence of a functional sick bay for the students.
However, a teacher in the school who pleaded anonymity said that the principal of the school was not available as at time of the visit to officially attend to the matter.
He, however, said that the school’s sick bay was operational but the facility was in dire need of an upgrade with basic equipment to attend to the sick.
He also called on the school’s alumni association to donate toward enhancing the facility if they could as a way of giving back to the school after passing through its learning process.
Similar, at Federal Government Girls College (FGGC), Bwari NAN correspondent was asked to write an official letter, requesting to carry out its survey on ascertaining availability of a sick bay in the school before an audience would be granted.
NAN reports that the survey was prompted after a 12 year old girl died at Chrisland Academy in Lagos, during the school’s inter-house sports competition recently.
On the availability of standard sick bay in schools, a nurse, at the Federal Government College, Rubochi, who did not want her name to be mentioned said “the school has a standard health clinic within the premises’’.
She said that they always reported any health challenge beyond their control to the General Hospital at the area where doctors would attend to the student.
“We equally contact the parents of such students in the case of any serious illness either to come and take the child or continue the treatment at the hospital.”
Also at the Government Sciences and Technical Secretary School, Abaji, a teacher of the school said that the school had a sick bay with some drugs.
The teacher said that anytime a child was indisposed, the nurse in the sickbay would administer first aid drugs and if the illness persisted, the school would ask the parents to take the student to the hospital. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Abiemwense Moru/Grace Yussuf
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