UAE: MoHAP Launches National School Health Screening Guideline For Students

The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) has introduced a new guideline for school health screenings. This initiative, in collaboration with health, education, and social authorities, targets students from kindergarten to grade 12. The goal is to identify any health or developmental issues early, allowing for timely intervention and support.

The guideline aims to standardise school health examinations nationwide. By doing so, it hopes to unify student healthcare efforts and create a reliable national database of screening results. This approach is expected to improve community health and enhance life quality for current and future generations.

Dr. Hussain Abdul Rahman Al Rand, Assistant Under-Secretary for the Public Health Sector, highlighted the importance of this guideline at its launch in Dubai. "Leveraging advanced capabilities, the Ministry seeks to establish a national database of health screening results for public and private school students, in line with the standards of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). Our latest initiative will contribute to achieving sustainable development goals and aligns with the UAE Centennial Plan 2071, aiming to prepare future generations with optimal health and readiness and build a sustainable future."

Dr. Al Rand also mentioned that prioritising children and adolescents is crucial in all development policies within the UAE government. Investing in their health is seen as an investment in the nation's future. The Ministry is spearheading efforts to promote public health among school students by ensuring access to preventive healthcare.

The National School Health Screening Guideline provides a framework for delivering preventive health services uniformly across schools. It includes annual examinations that update each student's medical history while assessing growth indicators like height, weight, and body mass index.

Specialised examinations are part of this guideline too. These include physical assessments, scoliosis detection, hearing tests, dental checks, psychological evaluations, and monitoring smoking habits among students over ten years old. Vision screening and vaccination status reviews are also conducted according to the national immunisation programme.

Dr. Suad Al Awar from MoHAP emphasised collaboration among various authorities as essential for prioritising student health. She pointed out that children form a critical part of childhood development stages. National programmes like those combating obesity or promoting immunisation play vital roles in supporting these efforts.

The guideline also features an awareness series tailored for different age groups aimed at boosting their health literacy levels effectively through education on relevant topics concerning their well-being.

This initiative aligns with sustainable development goals while preparing future generations with optimal readiness through improved healthcare access facilitated by strategic partnerships nationwide.

With inputs from WAM