Dubai: The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) has warned stringent action will be taken against private school clinics that do not abide by a new set of health regulations.
Dr Layla Al Marzouqi, Acting Director of DHA’s Health Regulation Department, told XPRESS that the penalties would vary with the nature of the violation, with hiring of unlicensed health care professionals inviting fines of up to Dh80,000.
“The school clinic regulation policy, developed by the DHA’s Health Regulation Department, seeks to establish and enforce minimum criteria for school clinic services so that students have access to high quality healthcare. Any violation of these rules would be subject to action in accordance with Decree No. 32 of the Executive Council of the Emirate of Dubai,” she said.
Penalties
She said the penalties could range from Dh1,000 to Dh80,000, depending on the violation with cases being referred to a medical committee for further action if necessary.
The new rules cover everything from licensing requirements and handling of emergencies to maintaining student health records and their right to confidentiality and privacy.
In case of emergencies the clinics must have appropriate equipment, supplies and pharmacological agents to provide first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation before referring the cases to a primary healthcare centre.
Al Marzouqi said that all schools must maintain every student’s health record for five years after the student turns 18 years of age or for five years after the student leaves school, whichever is earlier.
“This is to ensure that children have access to their medical records when they go to another school or university or even for employment. Most universities and employers seek detailed health records of applicants these days,” said Dr Layla.
She said the schools need not maintain physical copies of the records but rather store them online. There are 163 schools in Dubai which have 166 doctors and 344 nurses.
