A doctor in every school: how the new initiative will work
Ukrainian schools have long had no doctors and medical offices. But this will soon change, because at the end of January 2021, the government passed a resolution that should return doctors to schools. We tell you what needs to change and what may be the difficulties.
What health workers will do in schools
On January 20, 2021, the Cabinet of Ministers approved a decree that every general secondary education institution, regardless of ownership, must have a health worker. This was announced by the Chief Sanitary Doctor of Ukraine Viktor Lyashko.
"According to the approved procedure, medical care can be provided by medical staff who are part of the staff of such educational institutions, and in the absence of a medical worker in the school, you can enter into an agreement with any health care institution for medical care, " he said. Victor Lyashko.
Medical care for students will include:
• organization of mandatory medical preventive examinations;
• organization of preventive vaccinations according to their calendar after the medical examination;
• health monitoring;
• implementation of preventive and health-improving measures in educational institutions;
• providing medical care to students who are in an emergency, in educational institutions.
In addition, mandatory medical preventive examinations for those students who live far from medical institutions will be able to conduct directly in schools. But only after receiving written consent from parents.
A medical worker at the school will be able to perform anthropometry, thermometry, and examine students for pediculosis. He will also be able to isolate students who have signs of infectious diseases, with immediate information to their parents.
If a student becomes ill at school, the nurse will be required to provide emergency care and call an ambulance.
What are the problems with the new legislation
? The educational institution can not only hire a health worker, but also enter into a contract with any health care institution for medical care. But do not forget that in medical offices in schools must have a license, which is also not so easy to obtain.
The Ministry of Health noted that schools will be required to obtain a license to conduct business in medical practice. In various law firms, obtaining a license for a school office will cost an average of 8,000 hryvnias.
Lawyers explain that if a general education institution or education authority still wants to obtain such a license, they will be forced to make changes to the constituent documents of the institution, creating a medical office, as well as staffing, so that the number and professionalism of medical staff meet the license requirements.
Serhiy Gorbachev, the Education Ombudsman, told how all this will work . He
told Ukrainian Radio that there have been no doctors in schools for a long time. But according to the new regulation, schools must have either a medical worker or, if this is not possible, because school doctors have poor salaries, the institution must enter into an agreement with a health care institution to care for children there.
"The director of the institution must do everything possible to have a doctor in his staff. To do this, you need to create conditions for work, of course, with the help of the founder of the institution. But now the salaries are such that you will not find a person for such a position, so the current resolution stipulates that the educational institution may enter into an agreement with a health care institution. Therefore, if a vacancy has been posted and no one has responded, or if the person has worked and understood that the responsibility is huge and has been released, then the local health department should be contacted. It all depends on the activity of the director of the educational institution, "Serhiy Gorbachev explained.
It will be recalled that from January 1, 2021 and until the abolition of quarantine established through COVID-19, school health workers will receive a surcharge of 20% of salary. This money will be paid at the expense of those funds that are provided for the remuneration of employees of a particular educational institution. However, we should not expect that the salaries of school doctors will increase significantly because of this.
Author Anastasia Ishchenko
Read also - Not work, but a way of life: profession - surgeon
What health workers will do in schools
On January 20, 2021, the Cabinet of Ministers approved a decree that every general secondary education institution, regardless of ownership, must have a health worker. This was announced by the Chief Sanitary Doctor of Ukraine Viktor Lyashko.
"According to the approved procedure, medical care can be provided by medical staff who are part of the staff of such educational institutions, and in the absence of a medical worker in the school, you can enter into an agreement with any health care institution for medical care, " he said. Victor Lyashko.
Medical care for students will include:
• organization of mandatory medical preventive examinations;
• organization of preventive vaccinations according to their calendar after the medical examination;
• health monitoring;
• implementation of preventive and health-improving measures in educational institutions;
• providing medical care to students who are in an emergency, in educational institutions.
In addition, mandatory medical preventive examinations for those students who live far from medical institutions will be able to conduct directly in schools. But only after receiving written consent from parents. A medical worker at the school will be able to perform anthropometry, thermometry, and examine students for pediculosis. He will also be able to isolate students who have signs of infectious diseases, with immediate information to their parents.
If a student becomes ill at school, the nurse will be required to provide emergency care and call an ambulance.
What are the problems with the new legislation
? The educational institution can not only hire a health worker, but also enter into a contract with any health care institution for medical care. But do not forget that in medical offices in schools must have a license, which is also not so easy to obtain.
The Ministry of Health noted that schools will be required to obtain a license to conduct business in medical practice. In various law firms, obtaining a license for a school office will cost an average of 8,000 hryvnias.
Lawyers explain that if a general education institution or education authority still wants to obtain such a license, they will be forced to make changes to the constituent documents of the institution, creating a medical office, as well as staffing, so that the number and professionalism of medical staff meet the license requirements.
Serhiy Gorbachev, the Education Ombudsman, told how all this will work . He
told Ukrainian Radio that there have been no doctors in schools for a long time. But according to the new regulation, schools must have either a medical worker or, if this is not possible, because school doctors have poor salaries, the institution must enter into an agreement with a health care institution to care for children there.
"The director of the institution must do everything possible to have a doctor in his staff. To do this, you need to create conditions for work, of course, with the help of the founder of the institution. But now the salaries are such that you will not find a person for such a position, so the current resolution stipulates that the educational institution may enter into an agreement with a health care institution. Therefore, if a vacancy has been posted and no one has responded, or if the person has worked and understood that the responsibility is huge and has been released, then the local health department should be contacted. It all depends on the activity of the director of the educational institution, "Serhiy Gorbachev explained.
It will be recalled that from January 1, 2021 and until the abolition of quarantine established through COVID-19, school health workers will receive a surcharge of 20% of salary. This money will be paid at the expense of those funds that are provided for the remuneration of employees of a particular educational institution. However, we should not expect that the salaries of school doctors will increase significantly because of this.
Author Anastasia Ishchenko
Read also - Not work, but a way of life: profession - surgeon