School Health Services — A good thing to do or an ethical responsibility?

On Tuesday, the 27th of August 2019, a sixth-grader, Usman Durrani lost his life during a swimming class in his school. He was a champion swimmer and the causes of death are uncertain. One wonders if this was a case of a seizure or a syncope while swimming. By the time the child was taken to the hospital he was already in cardiac arrest. We would have to wait to get answers on how and why it happened.

However, what will not change is that a young life was lost and, a life that could have possibly been saved. We did not have a healthcare professional there to do something about it. I believe that providing healthcare services in schools is not just a good thing to do but an ethical and moral responsibility on behalf of school owners.

According to leading medical journals, children are the age group most prone to accidents. If you run a facility that takes care of hundreds (sometimes thousands) of lives on a daily basis, accidents both big and small are inevitable. It’s at this point where it’s a test of your ethical and moral values. Providing health services in schools is not just a good thing to do but the right thing to do.

If you’re a school owner, think of how you’re protecting your children, if you’re a parent, ask the school what measures they have incase things go wrong. Do the right thing!