The Ministry of Public Health building
On Monday, the Ministry of Public Health will conclude a series of workshops on precautionary measures for safe return to schools, which it organized for about a week in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education and the Primary Health Care Corporation, with the participation of school administrators and school health and safety workers, through remote communication technology.
The workshops aim to introduce guidelines for dealing with the Coronavirus (Covid-19) and answer the participants’ questions related to preparing schools to receive students, and how to deal with any suspected case of infection with (Covid-19).
Dr. Hamad Eid Al-Rumaihi, Director of the Department of Health Protection and Communicable Diseases Control at the Ministry of Public Health said that in light of the exceptional circumstances imposed by the (Covid-19) pandemic, the State of Qatar has succeeded in crossing the most difficult stage of the pandemic’s life, flattening the curve and limiting the spread of the virus, praising Within this framework, effective cooperation mechanisms between all concerned authorities in the state.
He pointed out that the opening of schools is a pivotal point within the stages that have been planned to recover from the (Covid-19) crisis, and stressed that epidemiological indicators are closely followed, especially those related to community events and events, and a daily report on the epidemiological situation associated with schools will be submitted after their opening. .
He explained that there is great cooperation between the Ministry of Public Health and the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, noting that the Ministry of Health is defining the conditions that help prevent the spread of infection, while the Ministry of Education and Higher Education is working to fulfill health requirements that contribute to reducing the level of risk, such as the quarterly bubble system in Schools, and this means that each school class will become a bubble in itself, and is not allowed to mix with other classes, and to make sure that the groups of students and staff are as stable as possible by staying in the same bubble, in addition to organizing the movement of students upon entry and exit, as well as taking care of examining students and teaching staff. Periodically, to quickly detect any potential condition and isolate it from the school community.
Dr. Al-Rumaihi pointed out that the aim of the workshops presented by a joint team from the Ministry of Public Health and the Primary Health Care Corporation is not limited to introducing the precautionary measures, but rather to conduct a dialogue with school principals and nursing staff in order to clarify the possible scenarios and the best ways to address them, and to introduce the relevant instructions. Acting upon suspected infection with (Covid-19) virus in the school, including the role of the nurse in the school, the safety and health team at the school and parents, as well as the role of the investigation team at the Ministry of Health and other possible scenarios.
For his part, Ali Jassim Al-Kuwari, Director of School Affairs at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, said that the workshops on guidelines for returning to school in light of the (Covid-19) pandemic represent a practical demonstration of the fruitful cooperation between the Ministries of Public Health, Education and Higher Education and the Primary Health Care Corporation. To intensify the educational role to limit the effects of Coronavirus on the educational process.
He added that a general coordinator has been assigned for every school in the State of Qatar to attend the dialogue sessions, workshops and meetings held by the Ministry of Public Health regarding dealing with the Coronavirus in schools, with the aim of transmitting the full picture to the work teams concerned with combating the virus in schools.
In turn, Dr. Zainab Shehata, the Communicable Diseases Control Coordinator at the Primary Health Care Corporation, said that the role of school nurses with the start of the educational process is to provide basic health services to students, in addition to managing infectious diseases, monitoring their health status, and taking measures to place suspected cases inside the isolation room. The temporary isolation room at the school, and referring it to the health authorities to provide the necessary medical assistance, with the determination of an employee from the school to follow the temporary isolation room, and the school nurse will communicate with the Ministry of Public Health about suspected cases.
The workshops featured presentations by Dr. Salam Shurrab, a health education specialist at the Ministry of Public Health, on health guidelines for returning to school, which included introducing the most important risk factors for COVID-19 infection, which can be related to the school environment, and precautionary measures to reduce the risk of infection before and when Attendance to and at school.
The precautionary measures for the rest period, eating meals and upon leaving the school were also reviewed, as well as the procedures to be followed when a student or school worker was injured, the establishment of rooms for temporary isolation of the suspected injured inside the school, the preventive behaviors and measures related to the environment, and the roles of the safety and health team at the school , And the roles of students, parents and nurses in schools.
The workshops come within the framework of measures aimed at effectively reducing the risks of infection with the (Covid-19) virus in a safe study environment that allows the continuation of the educational process, and introduces the school staff to the precautionary measures package and the roles and responsibilities to deal with various scenarios.
