Dubai students' health records to be digitised

The health data for school students in Dubai may be digitised. School health directors discussed the possibility of establishing an electronic health data for the students in different educational stages. The data will include health status of each student, follow up, treatment received and full disease history.

Presiding over the meeting Dr. Mahmoud Fikri Assistant Undersecretary for Health Policies said, “Our concerned departments cooperate with the Ministry of Education to establish an electronic data for each student carrying his e-health card that includes his full health details and complete history."

Fikri added that there is an overall detection program which applies to all education years and implemented by the school health clinics and primary healthcare centres. He also noted that there is a suggestion to provide a mobile check up clinic through a qualified medical team that would cover all the remote areas. He also added that there is a dental preventive program to protect students from teeth decays and their dangers.

The occupational school health section in the Ministry of Health will also prepare an employment protocol with the preventive medicine and school health departments to explain the implementation mechanism of the program and enhance the roles and skills of the school health enhancement programs.

Medical reports about the checkups that were done to students in grades 1, 5 and 9 revealed that the numbers of checked students reached 29874 students with a percentage of 98.9%. The checkups included disease date, medical check up and evaluation of psychological condition of students.

Last year, physical fitness tests have been made for 1343 for university, colleges and nursing institute students between September 2010 till June 2011.

The health education activities varied between oral and dental health, for grades 1,2,6 and 7 students. The number of dental clinic visitors reached 28033 students; treatment was given to 40744 patients while health prescriptions reached 3336 until 2011.

The numbers of patients visiting the central clinic and primary healthcare clinics reached 48943 students until June while transferred students reached 22972. The total number of medical prescriptions in the school health department reached 20357; about 15669 health prescriptions were provided of which 3336 for dental medicine, 1352 for ophthalmology, dermatology and psychiatry.

In the field of school health environment, the school health department seeks for providing an health environment free of dangers and increasing a health enhancement community. The department puts certain health conditions for school buildings in the public schools and organizes training workshops for disseminating health awareness among school employees and students.

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