School health checks cut over funding shortage

HEALTH checks on thousands of primary school children have been dramatically scaled back because of a shortage of funding.

Under the old system, junior and senior infants, and second- and sixth-class students were given a physical examination by a doctor. They also had their eyes and ears tested.

However, under the revised scheme, eye and ear tests are carried out on students only when they enter and leave the primary school system. Instead of a physical exam, parents are given a health questionnaire to fill out.

Fine Gael TD John Perry said the cutbacks effectively meant the level of health screening had been halved. Mr Perry said Government failure to provide adequate screening levels for children meant vital health checks were not being performed as a child progresses through school.

“Important changes in a child’s health could therefore be overlooked. This could have tragic consequences. The Government needs to revert to the old system as soon as possible. Nurturing our children’s health should always be a priority.”

Labour health spokeswoman Liz McManus accused the Government of hypocrisy.

“On the one hand they are talking up the need to shift the emphasis back to primary and preventative care, but in reality they are targeting these very services with cutbacks,” she said.

The Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) said thousands of schoolchildren were missing out on vital health checks.

Chair of the IMO’s public health doctors’ committee, Dr Paula Gilvarry, said the problem was exacerbated by a shortage of Area Medical Officers (AMOs), caused by the Government’s cap on recruitment to the public service.

Séamus Mannion, national director of the Children, Youth and Families Directorate of the Health Service Executive (HSE), said the reduced health checks now on offer were in keeping with the recommendations contained in ‘Best Health for Children’. However, he admitted a shortage of AMOs was hampering the service.

This meant that some schools could go a whole year without any health checks. Mr Mannion said when this happened “the outstanding schools are visited as early as possible the following school year”. He said that any children with urgent medical issues were referred onward for treatment.

Last night, a spokesperson for the HSE said that a review of the child health screening service had been established last week to draw up plans for its future direction.

“The HSE is very much aware of inconsistencies and gaps in the service and the review will address these issues,” he said.