Saturday 30 / August / 2025
Muscat: The Ministry of Health is preparing for the new academic year 2025/2026 with an integrated plan aimed at enhancing the health of students in schools and universities.
With help from the School and University Health Department, the plan seeks to spread health awareness and early detection of diseases, thus creating a healthy and safe educational environment and better quality of life.
Dr. Shamsa bint Ahmed Al Harthi, Acting Director of the School and University Health Department, explained that school and university health services are an important pillar in improving public health in the community, through comprehensive programmes that target students and provide them with the knowledge and skills to adopt sustainable, healthy lifestyles.
She pointed out that school health personnel provide a comprehensive package of services and periodic examinations, in addition to implementing quality health programmes within schools. These include: comprehensive medical examinations for students in grades one, seven, and ten to detect health problems early and provide appropriate follow-up. They also include vision examinations as part of the eye health programme for students in grades one and four to detect vision problems early, thus contributing to supporting academic achievement.
She added: "The package also includes a hearing test for first-grade students as part of the Ear Health Programme to detect any hearing problems that could affect speech and learning, as well as a health education programme targeting all grade levels, teaching staff, and parents to promote health awareness and positive behaviors."
Dr. Shamsa Al Harthi explained that the Ministry of Health offers a range of comprehensive services, programmes, and initiatives aimed at enhancing the health of students in higher education institutions and providing basic and integrated healthcare.
These services include health promotion programmes, youth counselling services, mental health, health education, first aid, primary healthcare, referral and follow-up, and special follow-up for chronic cases.
She stated that the Ministry is always keen to ensure that clinics on campus are ready to provide the necessary healthcare, adding that there are regular supervisory visits to higher education institutions and training for healthcare personnel to ensure full readiness for the start of the new academic year.
For her part, Yusra bint Faqir Al Balushi, a senior specialist nurse in the School Health Department, explained that the Ministry of Health is monitoring the readiness of all school health clinics and ensuring the availability of the necessary medical equipment and supplies to receive students at the start of the school year.
She emphasised the implementation of specialised programmes that support student health, including: the Health-Promoting Schools Initiative to implement the concept of the school as a comprehensive environment that supports physical and mental health, the Psychosocial Support Initiative to enhance the psychological and social well-being of students, awareness programmes on psychotropic substances and drugs to protect young people from health and social risks, and programmes such as: Girls' Health (Mental Health) and Adolescent Health, and the Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Programme to train eleventh-grade students and school staff to respond to emergency situations and save lives.
