The Ghana Health Service (GHS) and the Ghana Education Service (GES) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to formalise the annual School Health Screening exercise.

This means beginning this academic year, over 490,000 newly-admitted SHS students will be screened.

According to the Director-General of the GHS, Dr Anthony Nsiah-Asare, the screening includes: medical history and general physical examination; hearing assessment, oral health screening, STI screening, TB screening, nutrition assessment, laboratory examination (full blood count), and urinalysis.

Disease surveillance, sanitation, health education and other health-related activities will also be done.

A valid NHIS Card and weighing card to assess the immunisation status of the students, will be required to facilitate smooth implementation of the process.

"The School Health Screening will help the country to compile health records of its students to influence policy decisions. Management of the health facilities would be engaged to give priority to school children who report to the hospital for healthcare services", Dr Nsiah-Asare stated.

He noted that all schools will be aligned to a health facility to ensure the schools have functional sick bays, and complicated medical conditions detected will be referred to the hospital for further management.

In the last academic year, the GHS, in collaboration with the GES, screened 294,256 SHS students.

Pupils entering basic level for the first time (Kindergarten and primary school) this academic year 2017/2018, will also be screened in the next round of the health screening exercise.