"Health": 946 school clinics and 1,265 doctors and nurses welcome the academic year - Sarmad
The official spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, Dr. Abdullah Al-Sand, confirmed the full readiness of school health services to welcome the new academic year, reflecting the Ministry’s commitment to providing a healthy and safe school environment, and enhancing prevention, early detection, and professional management of students’ health conditions across all governorates of the country.
Dr. Al-Sand stated that the start of the academic year brings renewed hopes and great aspirations for our students and their families, emphasizing that the Ministry of Health shares parents’ concerns and prioritizes the health and safety of their children through an integrated system of school clinics and qualified medical and nursing staff.
He clarified that school health services cover government schools, religious education schools, and schools for students with special needs, through 946 school clinics, in addition to eight school health centers within primary healthcare facilities. These centers include clinics for student examinations and rooms for opening health records and administering vaccinations, ensuring the integration of preventive and health services provided to students.
He noted that the system includes 72 doctors and nurses distributed across various governorates, along with 1,193 nursing staff members, of whom 1,027 are assigned to schools and 166 work in school health centers.
Dr. Al-Sand explained that the Ministry of Health ensures the qualification of medical and nursing teams during the summer period through necessary training courses and programs, enhancing their readiness to perform their professional duties and improving their competence in managing various health cases within the school environment, in accordance with approved procedures and protocols.
He added that this readiness complements a comprehensive preventive health plan implemented prior to the start of the academic year, which included a field campaign conducted in collaboration with the Ministry of Education targeting more than 900 government schools to enhance environmental sanitation, thereby contributing to the preparation of a healthy and safe school environment for students and both teaching and administrative staff.
He stressed that school health is not limited to handling emergencies or providing care when needed, but represents a key partner in prevention and health awareness, monitoring students’ growth and safety, and instilling proper health behaviors from early educational stages.
Dr. Al-Sand called on parents to provide school administrations and school clinics with accurate and updated health information about their children, especially in cases of chronic diseases, allergies, or regular medications, and to ensure that required vaccinations and examinations are completed. He also emphasized the importance of adequate sleep, balanced nutrition, and breakfast, and advised against sending students to school if they exhibit symptoms that could affect their health or that of their peers.
He also addressed students, urging them to make healthy habits part of their daily school routine, including handwashing, consuming healthy food, drinking water, engaging in physical activity, avoiding the sharing of personal items, and reporting to the nursing staff or school administration if they experience any health symptoms.
Concluding his statement, the official spokesperson for the Ministry of Health said: “We welcome the new academic year with confidence and optimism, and we reassure parents that their children are surrounded, by God’s grace, by a ready school health system and qualified staff working in an integrated and responsible manner. We pray to God to make this year full of health, success, and achievement, and to protect our sons and daughters; for they are our most precious asset, and through their health and safety, we build Kuwait’s future.”
