LookAtVietnam – There are some 2,000-4,000 students in every school, while there are only one or two medical workers. This problem has become more serious in the flu epidemic.

Checking student’s temperature

“One physician has to take care of the health of over 2,000 students, which creates a lot of pressure,” Hien said.

Deputy Director of the HCM City Education and Training Department Nguyen Tien Dat admitted that the lack of medical workers is really a big problem for the schools in the city.

Dat said that the training of medical workers for schools has not been paid proper attention to. Meanwhile, the low pay for medical workers does not persuade them to work for schools.

In the ‘flu season’, every teacher and student needs to become a medical worker to protect themselves.

When asked what schools will do if more H1N1-infected patients are discovered at schools, Dat said that the schools will be able to use the health-care system in the wards and districts where they are located. Moreover, they also can ask for assistance from the city’s health-care department.

In the long-term strategy, Dat said that the city’s authorities are compiling a plan on training medical workers for schools which offers preferences to encourage workers to work for schools for a long time after they graduate.

The lack of medical workers has made many parents worried. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Lan, who has a son studying at Hoang Hoa Tham School, said that the school has 2,000 students, but just two doctors.

“I got frightened when I heard about the death of the flu patient in HCM City. My son had respiration diseases regularly before,” she said.

HCM City: schools taking temperatures of students

Nguyen Van Ha from Nguyen Khuyen School, where a flu patient was found, said that the school has well prepared for the new school year: cleaning schools, spraying chemicals and purchasing 25 body temperature metres. Four teachers have been standing at the two entrances to check the temperatures of all people who enter the school. Students who have signs of flu will be forced either to wear protective masks, sent home or to an isolation room at the school.

Nguyen Thi Thanh Xuan, Headmaster of Hoang Hoa Tham Secondary School in Tan Binh district, said that parents want all people to wear masks at school. However, the school cannot provide masks for all 2,400 students.

According to the HCM City Education and Training Department, all students and teachers must have health check-ups before every school day. Students will be forced to go home if they have high temperatures, and will get extra help when they recover.

Hanoi: isolation rooms ready

Students of Nam Thanh Cong primary school, where another infected student was discovered, have been asked to wear masks and bring water bottles for themselves when going to school. They can wear masks even in classes when they are speaking to teachers.

At Doan Thi Diem People founded School, three teachers and medical workers are always on duty checking temperatures of students. The buses which take students to school also have temperature metres.

Representative from Lomonosov School said that the school has bought medicine and medical masks to fight flu.

At Tran Phu, Viet Duc and Luong The Vinh high schools, warnings about the flu epidemic can be seen on notice boards. Schools in the city say they have isolation rooms and are prepared for the worse.

VietNamNet/SGTT