Perception of Students on the Health Services of the School Clinic

Synthesis

The review of related literature and studies has provided insights and presented guidelines
in the implementation of the school-based health centers for the students particularly in private
schools. The review had presented the purpose and provisions of the school clinic for the welfare
of the students which gives a clear understanding of its functions and importance. The review also
exposes recent theories and principles useful to differ them to the present study entitled,
“Perception of the Students on the Health Services of the School Clinic”.

According to Allensworth and Lawson (1997), school-based health center is a response to

the growing health needs and decreasing access to health services of many students. Currently,
there are about 650 SBHCs in almost all parts of the Philippines, and the range continues to grow
quickly. In accordance to this, Racelis (2012) conducted a survey about the availability of health
services and benefits in private wherein she had found out that 28 percent are schools with large
enrollments had a doctor, nurse and dentist, 18 percent who had a nurse only in schools with less
than 1,000 students, 10 percent had a doctor and a nurse.

On the other hand, another survey showed that youths were an underserved populace
lacking satisfactory access to human services (Cheng, Savageau and others, 1993). They examined
how much such facilities give benefits that either contrast from or supplement traditional human
services benefit. Six classes of essential determinations were gathered from pre-adult visits to a
secondary school center and from a hospital- based pediatric center, both serving a needy,
overwhelmingly Hispanic, inward city network. Examination of examples of facility use revealed
that the school-based center got altogether more visits for directing and medicinal services upkeep,
while the pediatric center got more visits for intense and interminable sicknesses. The school-
based center seemed to enhance access to health care for young people by permitting secret visits
for issues less effortlessly tended to at more ordinary health care sites.

Carreon (2016) states that school health services are important in giving first aid and
treating illness and injuries for the students who have special needs, and to provide health
counseling and education for students, staff, and parents. School Health Services, according to
Child and Adolescent Community Health (2018), aims to promote healthy development and
wellbeing in order for students to achieve their full potential. Similarly, the school health services
are important to students in providing emergency care for illness or injury while at school.
According to the Department of Education (DepEd), they also ensure that all students get
appropriate referrals to health care providers, to monitor for and control the spread of
communicable disease. School clinic also provide education and counseling in a variety of health
and wellness topics. This also serve as a medical resource in the development of policies and
procedures in the school.
 In relation to this, the DepED school health manual, and the DepED educational facilities
manual. The 1975 Presidential Decree 856, or the “Code on Sanitation of the Philippines”,
specifies the health facilities required in schools in Chapter VI School Sanitation and Health
Services, Section 43. It states that trained health personnel and adequate facilities should be
available so that students may be accorded the following health services: 1) Periodic physical and
medical examination; 2) Periodic immunization; 3) Medical and dental treatment; 4) Treatment
for common emergencies; and 5) Counseling and guidance.

Apparently, the review related to the provision of the school clinic in the Philippines helps
the researchers to design the content, format, and style in a well-organized presentation. It gives
an overview to the services that must be rendered by a certain school-based health center to its
students and faculty. Moreover, these also reveal some problems when it comes to SBHC that may
lead to dissatisfaction of the students.

Thus, this study is somehow similar with some reviewed samples but this has focused more
on the perceptions of the students in the services rendered by the school clinic of LCCT. The
researchers believe that this study will be helpful in determining the overall performance of the
clinic as the students assess its different services in terms of its medical treatment, facilities,
accommodation and of particular services. With the “Perception of Students on the Health
Services of the School Clinic,” the school administrators specfically the school clinic personnel
will know on which area they must keep or improve to give a better service to the students and
faculty.