Children deserve proper medical attention in school

Learning institutions should invest in proper health facilities with a qualified medical officer(s) and proper medical supplies. [iStockphoto]

I watched the story of a distraught mother whose son died shortly after she picked him up from school. According to the late boy’s family, the school told them that he had been sick for four days, prior to being picked up by his mother. The family, however, alleges that the boy had been sick for way longer than that. This incident reminded me of another one that received wide media coverage with allegations of neglect on the part of a school leading to the death of a young girl. Unfortunately, these are not isolated cases.

As a parent, two phone calls scare me the most, especially when I do not expect them: A call from my house help and one from my child’s school in the middle of the day. I always panic as I pick up because almost every time such a call is made, it is never good news. I can therefore imagine how devastating it must be for a parent to receive news of their child’s illness or even worse, death. It must be even more horrifying when the child is miles away from home. The helplessness of knowing that you cannot be there with your child when they need you the most must be the worst feeling for any parent.