Aiming to appraise school health services in Korea, a review on the school health program from
administrative and technical aspects, critical analysis of the health status of the pupils and productive
recommendation of a school lunch program were discussed in this study. The main findings are as follows:
1. The concept and scope of the school health program is still not recognized and accepted satisfactorily in Korea; therefore it is emphasized that recognition of the unique role and position of the school health program be accepted by the nation as whole.
2. The current weak, governmental organization of school health program at the central level including manpower and structure of the program should be strengthened in order to implement an effective and consistent program and development.
3. Cooperation and understanding are emphasized between school and community health professionals in order to implement and effective school health program. For such purpose, the School Health Committee in the Ministry of Education was organized in the last decade; however, the committee has become weak.
4. The School Health Center of Seoul City Board of Education is the only independent health institute in the Ministry of Education. However, at least one institute in each city and province should be established for the better health of the school population.
5.- Only 25.1% of schools employ school nurses even though they are the frontier´ workers in the school health services. However, at least one school nurse should be employed in each school not only by the school health law but also for the better health of the pupils. Worse, at, present the school nurses do not participate in the planning of school health services; therefore legal and administrative procedures should be provided for nursing activities in schools for better usage of the professional skills of the school nurse.
6. School in the doctor less area find it difficult to obtain part-time school physicians. Also even in the areas where doctors exist, still some schools cannot find a school physician because they cannot provide adequate payment for the doctor. Contrarily, yin these days changing disease patterns with a high prevalence ´-of chronic disease call for attention ´to early diagnosis for prevention in the young population.
In order to cope with this situation, employment of at least two part-time physicians in each school should be.
7. Some existing laws and regulations suffer from a conflict in consistency or unavailability, which do not match with their original intention.
8. Health appraisal for school populations is the most important program in the school´; health service: however, at present the appraisal is being carried out without correct measures or physical examination check-up.
9. Results of health appraisal of abnormal pupils are not followed-up nor is there any application for feed-back in planning and implementing of school health program.
10) The school lunch program has many defects such as unsatisfactory budget, lack of understanding of the program by school personnel as well as parents of the pupils. However, there is no doubt that the school lunch program should be carried out effectively for better health especially ´ the growth and development of the pupil.
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