The Problems that Schools Face when a Medical Emergency Strikes!
Hari Bharadwaj
Partner at Summit Consulting Services with expertise in Customer Engagement
The Problems that Schools Face when a Medical Emergency Strikes
Imagine this situation. A young boy is having lunch with his friends in the classroom. One of them has brought a bag of peanuts, and the boy jovially takes a few and puts them in his mouth. The boy's friend makes a joke and he starts laughing uncontrollably.
Suddenly his laughing changes to urgent coughing, his eyes turn red and tears start streaming down. The children immediately alert the teachers nearby rush to his aid to try and expel the peanut that is choking him. But they just can’t seem to stop the choking. The boy's condition is getting worse and the situation is rapidly escalating. What can they do next?
The next step which would be advised by medical practitioners around the globe is to put him an ambulance and rush him to the hospital. This consequently begs the question, how many of our schools are equipped with fast and convenient ambulance services to deal with a situation like this?
An Overlooked Safety Issue
As recently as 2017, a family suffered the loss of their beloved child, who was studying in a prominent Delhi NCR school. The 10-year-old slipped and fell on the corridor outside his classroom and later succumbed to the severe head injuries that he had sustained.
Perhaps a quicker transfer to the hospital could have saved the child. If that were the case, the school and parents would not have to descend into the vicious cycle of despair and blame which follows such an incident.
A similar accident took place in Hyderabad, this time involving a 12-year-old suffering from Asthma. However, prompt transfer to a hospital helped ensure that this incident did not have the same tragic outcome. The doctors saved the child and she received the requisite medical care, something which she could only have access to at a full-fledged hospital, not in the school infirmary under the care of a nurse.
What Are the Problems Schools Without Ambulances May Face?
Schools without ambulance services are putting their children at risk. There are numerous problems which may arise in the case of a medical emergency at an educational institute.
Some of the major issues are:
Lack of medicine- The right medicine to deal with the emergency may not available at the school.
Lack of knowledge-The medical team at the school may not know how to treat the condition that the child is suffering from.
Lack of equipment- Certain medical emergencies can only be resolved with the help of specific equipment. Schools do not usually have such facilities and equipment on campus.
Loss of time- Without ambulances, they may have to resort to private transport to the hospital, which is a very time-consuming process.
Wrong treatment- School nurses may administer the wrong treatment for the emergency based on what medicine is available, this can cause complications down the line.
Make Sure You Do All That You Can Do!
There are certain ailments where even the best doctors are helpless, certain situations where the end result cannot be changed even at a top-notch medical facility. However, while there is still even the slimmest chance for recovery, it is the duty of the educational institute to provide services and facilities that can help deal with a health emergency in the most effective way possible.
One of the key factors that a parent will look at while selecting a school for their kids is safety and security. Hence, compromising on this vital issue can affect a school's credibility very severely, prompting the parents to look for other alternatives.
An ambulance is not only a welcome addition to the medical facilities in any school, but also a very necessary one. Quick transfer to the hospital gives children access to the best available medical care. It can help transcend that thin line between a tragedy and a life-saving course of action.
We, at eSahai, look to ensure that there is always an ambulance around when disaster strikes. Efficient and effective medical services will make sure that schools are well-equipped for medical emergencies on campus. Visit https://esahai.in/ to know more.
Super Anil!
Director at Masters' Union & Lovely Professional University | EIR at Multiply Ventures | Ex. CRO Skill-Lync (YC W'19) | Ex-VP Marketing WhiteHat Jr
6 年Speaks the current state of infrastructure at schools in India. While a few schools have a visiting doctor on a weekly basis but it definitely doesn't address the case of emergency at hand especially for boarding schools!