Abu Dhabi: Schools to screen students for early detection of blindness, scoliosis

Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre (ADPHC) has announced the continuation of medical screening programmes for students in the emirate.

The Students’ School Screening programme is done for the early detection of disease among pupils between Grade 1 and 12.

Dr Omniyat Al Hajri, Executive Director of the Community Health Sector, said: “At Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre, we are promoting human health at an early age, and the early detection of diseases is an important and essential step to overcome the obstacle of the exacerbation of diseases.”

ADPHC, in cooperation with the educational authorities and parents in the emirate, conducts early screenings for students, which is divided into two parts.

The first is the annual screenings, which are offered to students from Grade 1 to 12 and comprises checkups for weight, height, body mass, vital signs and vision.

The second part includes comprehensive screenings, which are specifically offered to students in Grade 1, 5 and 9. These include looking at the student’s medical history, conducting physical examinations, vision (colour blindness), hearing, scoliosis (curvature of the spine), blood and dental tests.

“The school screening programme is part of the centre’s strategic plans to preserve the health of our students at the school stage, in cooperation with educational authorities and parents,” Dr Al Hajri added.

Over the past years, 361 schools in the emirate of Abu Dhabi participated in the programme. The ADPHC said it would continue to launch a number of programmes aimed at instilling a culture of public health in students at an early age.

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