Nine months after a student died of an asthma attack at a reputed city school,the outrage and urgency of upgrading medical facilities on school campuses seems to have already dissipated. In May,after angry parents called for government action on the same,the Delhi government announced it would come up with guidelines for all recognised city schools regarding emergency medical facilities. In an advisory,the Directorate of Education decreed all recognised schools to appoint a part-time or full-time medical officer,as per needs. THE CAUSEOn April 20,Akkriti Bhatia,student of Modern School-Vasant Vihar,complained of breathlessness to her teacher around 10 am. She was taken to Holy Angels Hospital,at 10.40 am,where she was declared dead on arrival. After a public outrage,a committee was constituted to look into the causes of the death and which blamed the school for negligence. Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit asked the school to suspend the nurse and a teacher. In a knee-jerk reaction,the government also announced it would standardise medical facilities across private schools and require them to maintain a database of their students medical history. While the DoE officials could not be contacted,the guidelines,however,are yet to be announced. The anger that had spilled onto the streets,with parents and students organising protest candlelight vigils,has since died down. THE EFFECTA few schools,meanwhile,chose to form their own committees to provide recommendations. The National Progressive Schools Conference,an umbrella organisation for about 100 recognised schools,formed a committee in August. It also compiled a report that was distributed among members which recommended that schools equip themselves with stretchers,oxygen cylinders and wheelchairs,among others. Not many schools,however,took heed. According to Amod Kanth,chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR),around 90 per cent of schools under the government,civic agencies or other organisations lack even basic medical facilities for children. The DCPCR has,meanwhile,formed a committee of 15 experts,including doctors and educationists,to assess the preparedness of schools to handle medical emergencies. The report is expected to be submitted next month to the Delhi government. It (the report) discusses the role of the school authorities,the services it should provide,the manner in which they are going to handle emergencies,the role of the family and the children,and the governments involvement, Kanth says. The Commission will push for the government to adopt their recommendations. The funding for such provisions will,however,have to be worked out by the schools themselves. The government will earmark funds for the schools under them,he said. THE RESULTS One cannot,however,expect schools to turn into hospitals,principal of Mahavir Senior Model School S L Jain adds. Their responsibilities will only include maintaining students medical records,organising check-ups from time to time and having the means to transport the child to a hospital during emergencies. Also,the cost of more health facilities at the school will have to be borne either by the state or passed on to the parents,he says. Some schools have,meanwhile,gone on to implement a comprehensive health plans for students. Salwan Public School,Pusa Road,has outsourced its health management to Simova Health Services,a Dubai-based firm,that will conduct regular health check-ups and upload them on the schools website. Parents can access the childs medical record and will have a password,principal Vandana Puri says. Simova is a futuristic programme. Even X-rays are part of the package. If the child is at any kind of risk,the webpage can be made available so that the doctor has a complete medical record, she says. While the school is not charging anything during the implementation of the pilot project,it plans to charge Rs 500 per year for the services. Other prominent schools say they have a doctor on campus to provide basic care if a child falls ill. Delhi Public School-RK Puram has a male and a female doctor and an ambulance. There is also a clinic equipped with an oxygen cylinder,a nebuliser and medicines. Several other unaided private schools say they have a doctor on call and update their students medical records regularly.
