All issues > Volume 22(7); 1979

Original Article

J Korean Pediatr Soc. 1979;22(7):491-498. Published online July 15, 1979.

A Study on School Health Service in Elementary Schools in Seoul.

Jung Soo Kim

¹Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Yonsei University, Korea.

Abstract

Considering the importance of school health regular vaccintions of children primary schools is strongly recommended, as well as a comprehensive school health program, however, neither has been satisfactorily carried out in Seoul. Without exception, all schools in Korea are facing many problems ; shortage of school health personnel, lack of adequate facilities, poor school environmental sanitation, etc., but the health problems showed not to be disreSarded. Therefore, adequate and effective planning and implementation of the school health programs, including vaccination of school children, is urgently requested. With the aim of finding out the facts, 82 elementary schoolsin Seoul, Korea, were surveyed and the following results were obtained. 1) School health personnel were not satisfactorily distributed in all schools : school physicians in 60 schools (73.0%), school nurses in 79 schools (96.3%) and school pharmacists in only 8 school (9.8%). 2) Medical facilites in schools were poorly equipped, lack of refrigerators to keep vaccineetc. 3) Schools environmental sanitation such as water supply and waste disposal were relatively good. However, flush toilets were equipped in only 16 schools (19.5%). 4) Regular health teaching has not being carried out by medical personnel in any of the schools. Health education was carried out with printed nows letter to homes from schools and broadcasting set at schools. 5) Annual physical examination in every school was performed by medical doctor. But physical examination were performed by their own school doctors only in 16 schools (19.5%). 6) About 32 patients in a day were seen and treated in health clinic at schools and the chief complaints were found to be indigestion, headache, and trauma in 90%. 7) School vaccinations were performed by the nurse alone in 58 school (70.7%). In vaccination procedures, needle sterilization was inadequate in 78 schools (95.1%), and the reasons were found to be shortage of school health personnel including nurses, lack of adequte equipments and facilities, program beudget, and poor recognition of nurses.

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