Routine medical check-ups for students in over 1,000 public schools renewed

BEIRUT — The health and education ministries announced on Wednesday, in partnership with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the European Union (EU), the resumption of medical check-ups and screening for around 300,000 students in 1,050 public schools across Lebanon.

In a statement relayed by the state-run National News Agency (NNA), the four stakeholders announced “the resumption of the school medical screening program,” which aims to ensure “preventive care, early diagnosis and medical referral” where necessary for public school students.

The program is also designed to raise awareness, in a school setting, of various health issues among younger generations, the statement said.

Funded by the EU, the program will be rolled out by April 2025, its services administered by licensed doctors and nurses. Members of the medical team will monitor pupils' growth, check their vaccination records and carry out various medical examinations, including for eyes, ears, heart, respiratory system and skin.

"The health of students is the cornerstone of their future," Education Minister Rima Karame said, "as it directly influences their academic progress, their learning abilities and their physical and mental development."

Health Minister Rakan Nassereddine is quoted as stressing that the routine medical checkups provide "real value" in the early detection of health problems and that the overall program will strengthen ties between public schools and primary care centers for coordination around follow-ups and medical interventions.

UNICEF's representative in Lebanon, Akhil Iyer, said that “investing in the health, nutrition and well-being of students is as crucial as investing in quality, equitable and inclusive education.”

Lebanon's education system has been in crisis since the Lebanese pound began its landslide depreciation in 2019 at the onset of the economic and financial crisis.

The situation in public schools worsened with the coronavirus pandemic, the double explosion at the Port of Beirut in August 2020 and a wave of teacher resignations and strikes in the face of earnings far below a living wage.

The war between Israel and Hezbollah, which began on Oct. 8, 2023, further paralyzed the sector, destroying many schools in southern Lebanon, Beirut's southern suburbs and the Bekaa.

The economic crisis also exacerbated inequalities in the health sector.Lebanon does not have the mechanisms or policies in place to guarantee access to healthcare and basic public services. The latest official statistics show that around 44 percent of the Lebanese population has no form of health insurance, with clear disparities between regions.

The National Social Security Fund (NSSF) covers only 46.8 percent of the insured population. The remainder is covered by other public, private or mixed funds, in addition to private insurance. The low level of social security coverage is partly due to weak enforcement of the law requiring employers to register their employees with the NSSF.

Those without insurance contracts are covered by the Ministry of Health as insurer of last resort, but the ministry's resources are very limited, which hindering its ability to serve the large number of uninsured.