Doha: The Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) recently organized its annual school health forum with significant participation from public school principals, vice principals, and Education Above All Foundation school representatives. The event underscored the critical importance of strengthening the strategic partnership between the health and education sectors to ensure a healthy and safe school environment. This initiative aligns with the Qatar National Vision 2030, which aims to cultivate a healthy and educated society through sustainable preventive practices that enhance student awareness and improve the quality of school life.
According to Qatar News Agency, Dr. Samya Al Abdulla, Assistant Managing Director of Operations and Clinical Affairs and Executive Director of Operations at PHCC, reaffirmed the corporation's commitment to developing school health services and integrating them with health centers. She emphasized that the forum serves as an annual platform for exchanging experiences and showcasing best practices, thus positively impacting the quality of services provided to students.
Mohammed Al Maraghi, Director of the Health and Safety Department at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MOEHE), highlighted the essential role of MOEHE-PHCC cooperation in fostering an integrated educational and health environment. This cooperation promotes student safety and facilitates learning in a healthy and secure setting.
The event included a presentation on the strategic partnership between the School Health Department and MOEHE, focusing on a sustainable healthy school future. Dr. Layla Al Dahneem, Manager of School Health Services and Program at PHCC, discussed modern trends in developing school health programs, plans to strengthen integration between nursing teams and health centers, and PHCC's initiatives to empower health professionals.
Dr. Al Dahneem noted PHCC's efforts in adopting programs that promote mental health, proper nutrition, and chronic disease prevention. She added that the next phase will concentrate on achieving comprehensive services and improving student health experiences in schools.
The forum also featured interactive presentations and specialized discussions with staff from the School Health Department and other supporting MOEHE departments. These sessions covered topics such as empowering school nurses, supporting students with disabilities, digital transformation in smart school clinics, initiatives to enhance early learning environments, and promoting occupational safety and performance quality in school clinics.
The annual school health forum marked a significant step in strengthening institutional integration between the health and education sectors. It aimed at developing the national school health system and fostering a culture of prevention and positive health among students, teachers, and the school community.
PHCC recommended several developmental measures to enhance and sustain school health services. These include strengthening coordination mechanisms between the MOEHE and the Ministry of Public Health in recruitment, identifying human resource needs, and ensuring that school clinics meet national standards from the start of the academic year. PHCC also emphasized reinforcing cooperation with relevant stakeholders.
Additionally, PHCC stressed the need to review and update health education content to align with student needs across different educational stages and promote positive health behaviors. They called for developing a unified mechanism for staff transfers and secondments to ensure nursing staff stability, minimizing unnecessary movements. Moreover, PHCC proposed creating a unified policy between the Schools and Student Affairs Department and the School Health Department to regulate student visits to clinics and address cases of feigned illness, ensuring smooth workflow in clinics and allowing nurses to focus on their core tasks, including clinical training, educational activities, and teamwork participation.