Doctor's offices will be operational in public schools

The Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia is launching a pilot program for the functioning of medical offices and the activities of school doctors in public schools. The project will be implemented in 100 pilot public schools across Georgia. At this stage, renovation works and equipping of rooms designated for medical offices are underway in the selected schools. Today, Minister Tamar Sanikidze visited one of the pilot schools – Tbilisi Public School No. 64 – and personally inspected the ongoing rehabilitation works.

The selection of doctors for the offices will be ensured by a commission created by the Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia, while the arrangement and equipping of the medical offices will be funded by the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia.  By the beginning of the new 2014-2015 academic year, the medical office will commence operations in all public schools participating in the program. Gradually, every public school will have a doctor's office equipped with the necessary inventory, medications, and other essential resources.

The implementation of the project was necessitated by an urgent need, because, for years most schools depended solely on emergency medical assistance services and were not involved in immunization promotion processes. There was no database on the health status of schoolchildren, and no adequate mechanism for implementing referrals was in place. An epidemiologically unfavorable situation was recorded in schools, and there was a lack of information and knowledge regarding hygiene issues. All these problems will be addressed within the framework of the new project, and students will receive qualified primary medical care right at the school when needed.