Vision

Premium healthcare services for all school students, enabling them to achieve and maintain optimum health.

Mission

To provide comprehensive healthcare services to all students of Government schools.

Overview

The School Health Service was established by the Ministry of Health in conjunction with the Ministry of Education with the view of ensuring optimal health for Government school students, thus enabling them to attain the most from their education. This is facilitated by a cadre of healthcare professionals, including a School Heath Nurses, Dental Nurse, Trained Clinical Nurse and Health Aide who canvass the schools on a regular basis, providing both preventive and curative services.

The School Health Service functions in 3 inter-dependent areas.

1. Routine Medicals.
2. School Children’s Clinic.
3. School Health Nurses’ weekly visit.

Objectives

1. To establish good working relationships between school, health team, social workers and home.
2. To carry out annual physical examinations on each child in Grades 1, 6 and 10.
3. To treat minor ailments and refer other abnormalities for appropriate treatment.
4. To maintain a high level of immunization in school children.
5. To detect and follow-up “at-risk” students.
6. To conduct health education in the schools.
7. To maintain appropriate dental healthcare programmes.
8. To collect, collate and analyse data relating to school aged children, so as to support evidence based programming.  

History

School Health Service has been in existence since the 1920s. Initially, nurses examined children in the school setting, from a mobile clinic.

In 1940, the Duchess of Windsor donated 2 clinic buildings where nurses, employed by the Red Cross, were stationed. These nurses visited schools in New Providence, both Government and private, to administer immunizations.

By the early 1950s, with the addition of Dr. Bonner, the programme became more structured. In addition to immunizations, medical examinations were being performed on grades 1 and 6 students in the public school system.

During the polio epidemic of 1964, many of the schools were used as sites for mass immunizations. By the time Dr. Cora Davis joined the programme in 1967; grades 1 and 6 medical examinations were routine. In the 1970s, the Service was expanded to include medical examination of the 10th grades, and by 1975, monthly rubella vaccinations were carried out on all 6 grade students.

Dr. Librada Quiling, Medical Officer, joined School Health Services in September 2001, and presently directs the grades 1 and 6 medicals, in addition to the School Children’s Clinic, held weekly at the South Beach Community Health Clinic.

Related School Health links:

School Health – Dental Care
Health Education
Monitor of At-Risk Students
School Health Medical Exams
For School Nurses
School Health Resident Nurses
School Children’s Clinic

For more information, please contact:

Department of Public Health
Poncianna Hill Building
Meeting Street
P. O. Box N-3730
Nassau, N.P.
The Bahamas
Tel. (242) 502-4782
Fax.(242) 502-4874
Opening hours: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday to Friday, except public holidays