Provide adequate resources to promote school health education

Nkawie (Ash), Feb. 25, GNA - Dr. Peter Clement Awuah, Medical Superintendent at the Nkawie Government Hospital has called for the provision of adequate resources and other resources to promote school-based health education programmes. He said this was crucial to ensure effective health delivery in the country.

Dr. Awuah said the provision of effective and efficient health care delivery at the school level prevents and reduces health risks and the sudden deaths of children greatly. He was addressing public and private school-based health education programme co-ordinators selected from the Nkawie, Toase and Abuakwa circuits at a day's workshop at Nkawie in the Atwima Nwabiagya District on Friday.

It was organised by the District Directorate of Education. The participants were taken through the draft guidelines for school health, the importance and use of first Aid and the identification of learning disabilities among children. Dr. Awuah said health care services to pupils and students provides an opportunity for effective communication of health and disease prevention that can possibly spread to their families and communities. The Medical Superintendent pointed out that school health care services were based on the prevention of environmental diseases, nutrition and immunisation and that the identification of problems for early intervention for long-term management.

Mr. Baffour Asare-Bediako, an Assistant Director of Education at the District Education office advised teachers to enforce the practice of personal hygiene of pupils and also improve upon schools environmental sanitation. Miss. Irene Comfort Badu, the district's school health education programme co-ordinator since schools form a large section of the national population, serious attention should be given to health education and promotion in schools.

Mr. Stephen Debrah Gyasi, the Peripatetic Officer at the district education office, advised school authorities to help identify children with special psychological problems and ensure early diagnosis and recognition of any disability or disease for early and effective treatment to avoid complications.