JOIN USDoctors on call at school to help holistic development
Realising the importance of wellness of students to ensure uninterrupted learning, a team of healthcare industry veterans and experienced doctors conceptualised Doctor on Call (DOC) classroom, a comprehensive healthcare solution especially designed for schools under which services are provided inside and outside the school premises.
A part of DOC, which was founded in January 2014 to provide access to high quality healthcare to the masses, DOC classroom programme was initiated after a need for quality health care in the India’s school system was found.
“School is the one place where good health habits can be inculcated and early screenings can be made which greatly reduce the risk of lifestyle diseases and other complications. This is the time when kids can be taught about good lifestyle choices. For this reason we started our Doctor On Call - Classroom program,” Dr Anita Roy, president, DOC tells Metrolife.
As part of the programme, DOC deploys a full time doctor and a nurse during school hours and manages and runs the sick bay at the school while providing essential amenities and equipments to handle minor ailments and first aid for emergency situation. It also organises checkups and digitises these check up records and provides reports to parents.
“Further to this, we provide nutritionist services where a child nutritionist visits the school at regular intervals and helps students achieve varied goals of weight loss/gain. The nutritionist also creates awareness among students and parents on topics of importance. We also provide counselling services where the counsellor shares report on students with special needs with parents, create awareness among students on topic of importance (sexual abuse, bullying, sex education),” explains Roy.
The programme which is currently operational in schools like Heritage School, Gurgaon; Doon Public School, Paschim Vihar; Manav Rachna International School, Gurgaon; Bal Bharti Public School, Dwarka; Delhi Public School (DPS), Rewari and St.Xavier's College, Kolkata, among others, has doctors who are connected with top paediatricians at all times.
“We felt the need to have good health programme in a place like Rewari where it gets a little difficult to reach good doctors in case of a medical emergency. This is the reason we opted for the programme as it ensures that a doctor is available 24x7. As part of the programme, a counselling session was also held with junior class teachers, telling them how to identify the children’s problems,” Sunita Chopra, principal, DPS Rewari, tells Metrolife.
However, is there a plan to partner with government schools where such an initiative might be extremely beneficial for children who may not be able to avail good healthcare facilities?
“Yes, one of our main mission is to provide quality primary healthcare to all the stratas of the society alike. So, there is definitely a plan to work closely and assist the government to imbibe a effective healthcare system within the government education system so that the benefits can reach many children across the country,” Roy shares.