Government issues new medical emergency guidelines for schools in Maharashtra
Stating that schools should have MoUs with nearby hospitals to ensure availability of on-call doctor facility, the guidelines also add that school should have facility of a vehicle, in case any child urgently needs to be taken to hospital.
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Last week, the office of Commissioner of Education, Suraj Mandhare had issued directives regarding the two days before voting.Apart from appointing counsellors, all schools in Maharashtra now need to conduct stress-relief workshops for students as a part of annual health check-ups and training for emergency first-aid such as Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR). These are some of the features from the newly issued medical emergency guidelines for schools in Maharashtra.
Considering that children spend as many as 6-7 hours in schools, these guidelines are issued to help schools be prepared for any medical emergency that can occur during this time. According to the guidelines, timeliness and preparedness of first-aid by schools can prevent any untoward incident.
While there are some basic instructions such as readily available first-aid-kit, sick room in school and annual medical check-up along with first-aid training workshop; the guidelines also insist on specific training modules such as CPR and Artificial Respiration. Schools are required to have emergency medical facilities at nearby hospitals.
“There should be an instructor to ensure that all the medical emergency related guidelines are followed,” states the Government Resolution (GR) issued in this regard by the school education department of Maharashtra adding that the guidelines are applicable for all types of schools irrespective of the board they are affiliated to.
Stating that schools should have MoUs with nearby hospitals to ensure availability of on-call doctor facility, the guidelines also add that school should have facility of a vehicle, in case any child urgently needs to be taken to hospital.
Even as these are emergency medical guidelines, it includes instructions related to mental wellbeing of school-going children. “Schools should conduct stress-relief workshops for children along with other activities that can help their mental wellbeing,” states the GR.
The guidelines are a result of Bombay High Court instructions from July 2024, when it directed Maharashtra government to issue comprehensive instructions regarding necessary medical facilities and procedures to be followed in case of emergencies.
The court had passed a verdict on a petition by the mother of a deceased girl, a student from a college in Kandivali, who had collapsed in her classroom in February, 2016 and had hit her head against benches. She was brought down from the sixth floor in a wheelchair and was taken to a nearby hospital, where she passed away due to haemorrhage.
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