Friends, have you heard about INFIRMARY?
Generally, an Infirmary is a room in a school, college or university where students who become sick or injured during their institution’s working hours can go for primary medical treatment. Even a medical room in jail is referred as an infirmary.
Generally, most schools have first aid facilities and some arrangements for calling an ambulance to handle medical emergencies. However, an infirmary and paediatrician are rarely heard of as belonging to the operational system of school.
When it comes to taking steps towards development of the children, many schools pay a lot of attention to the3ir 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 actual, physical development.
Having a first aid box, and ambulance on call is not enough. Many schools are capable of doing more and ought to do so too. Incorporating infirmary an infirmary and paediatrician, for instance, expands the horizon of the minimum that is expected from school.
Some reasons why schools have an infirmary and paediatrician:
1 No students would like to be packed off to a hospital in an ambulance. No parents would approve of school sending their children away for some ailments or injuries. Yes emergencies can happen at any time and school is expected to be better equipped to handle them.
2 Transporting children to a hospital by ambulance takes time. The commute itself may cause further damage to an injury/problem.
3 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.
4 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.
5 When students share their food and accidently eat something they are allergic to, they need immediate attention.
6 An infirmary is a dedicated space where students can rest or recover when they need medical attention. Other spaces like classrooms and teachers’ room do not have the right facilities.
7 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.
In reality, best of schools go beyond having first-aid and ambulance on call like basic measures in place to address anything related to physical well being.
So how many schools around you have an infirmary type medical support for children?
Now coming to Colleges and University campuses
Yesterday Maharashtra government issued a Government Resolution (GR) directing educational institutions like colleges and universities to provide medical facilities on campuses. They must have a minimum 20 sq meter first-aid-cum-sick-room on their premises. These also include having on-call doctor facility for all students and counselors to address their mental health problems. They should also tie up with the nearest hospital and train staff in first aid to handle medical emergencies.
The GR mentions, students spend six to seven hours daily on campus and may require urgent treatment during this period. If colleges and universities take appropriate and prompt action, untoward incidents could be averted. The GR mandates providing students insurance cover under government schemes or any other initiatives. All medical facilities must be provided first-aid-sick-room, and all departments must have first aid kits.
Institutes have also been asked to display prominently the contact numbers of government hospitals, government health centres, and private clinics in their vicinity, and coordinate with them regularly. The co-ordinators of the institutes are expected to contact hospitals to get immediate medical attention for students, or help in the admission of sick students, if required. A vehicle should be made available to take students to hospital in case of emergency.
A good beginning by the government of Maharashtra, I hope it is implemented in a earnest by all the institutes.
Waiting for your feedback on this blog.
Anil Malik
Mumbai, India
11th July 2024