Tema, June 19, GNA – As senior high schools are to open for final year and gold track form two students as directed by the President, operators of sickbays in the schools in Tema have appealed to organizations and individuals to support their activities.
The President in an address on May 31, 2020, announced the easing of restrictions on social gatherings and schooling as he directed that, tertiary institutions, senior high school and junior high school would reopen for final year students to prepare to take their exams on June, 15, 22, and 29 respectively.
Mrs Grace Eddy Amewu, Tema Health Directorate focal person for adolescent health, made the appeal in an interview with the Ghana News Agency on her outfit’s preparation for the reopening of the schools.
Mrs Amewu said the Directorate before the emergence of COVID-19, had trained and posted adolescent-friendly nurses to man the existing six school sickbays in local public senior high schools.
The six were; Chemu SHS, Tema Presbyterian SHS, Tema Methodist Day, Our Lady of Mercy SHS, Manhean Senior High Technical School, and the Tema Technical Institute.
She indicated that the nurses had been treating minor sicknesses such as cold, body pains, cuts, diarrhea, eye pains, boil, dizziness, menstrual pains, asthmatic attack and toothache, malaria, vagina discharges, substance abuse at the sick bays.
She said Dr. Sally Quartey, Tema Metropolitan Health Director, together with her team had given the needed COVID-19 training to the nurses managing the sick bays and the adolescent corners as well as some selected SHS teachers and officers of the Ghana Education Service in preparation for the schools’ opening.
The training, she said covered an overview of COVID-19, precautionary measures, use of personal protective equipment, and protocols on referral and isolation of suspected cases in school.
The Adolescent Focal Person added however that it was very important for organizations and individuals to complement the effort of government to help schools to improve on their sick bays.
She indicated that there was a need for the expansion of the sickbays and also the setting up of some at private schools that might not have to ensure that the primary health needs of the in-school adolescents and teachers were properly met.
“Help nurses to have confidence in the services they are providing in the school. Such logistical supports will help them provide quality services to both students and teachers”
Meanwhile, Ms. Agatha Adrah, School Health Education Programme (SHEP) Tema Metropolitan Education Directorate, said all senior high schools in the area both public and private had also been disinfected.
Ms Adrah, however, said as at 11:20 hours that the GNA contacted her, they were yet to receive their COVID-19 logistics but added that they were hoping to get it from their head office by the close of day.
GNA