Our Clinic

Our health office is located in the corridor behind the sports hall on the ground floor. If you have any concerns about the health of your child at our school, please feel free to come and speak to the school nurses.

You can also contact the School Clinic at [email protected]

The following notes are a brief summary on school health matters which you may find helpful:

Accidents and Emergencies

Should your child require emergency treatment, every effort will be made to contact you. To assist with this, please keep the nurses informed of any change in your contact details. In the case of a serious emergency, an ambulance will be called on 998 and your child will be taken to a government hospital as per their policy (usually Rashid or Al Wasl Hospital).

Medical Forms

When your child starts at GEMS Wellington International School, you will be required to complete several medical forms. Please return them promptly with all medical information provided. It is of utmost importance that the school is made aware of any condition your child has and any medication they are receiving. This will affect how they are treated in case of an emergency.

Consent for Paracetamol and Medicine at School

If your child is in pain or has a fever at school, we can give Paracetamol to relieve their symptoms. You will be required to give signed consent on the health form for the school nurse to administer it.

Students are not permitted to carry medicine with them under any circumstances. If your child needs medication at school, please hand it to the school nurse where it will be stored safely in the clinic. You will be required to sign consent for the medicine to be administered by the school nurse and your child will be required to come to the clinic at the appropriate time to take it. You may also provide the school nurses with medicine your child may need at school for an existing condition such as an inhaler for asthma, insulin for diabetes or an Epipen for allergies. (Epipens are hard to come by in Dubai, it will be helpful to you to obtain a stock from your home country.) Medicine will not be returned to a student under any circumstances; it must be collected by an adult, either the parent / guardian or the teacher.

Illness

To concentrate and function effectively at school, good health is one of the most important aspects. It is therefore important that if your child is unwell, they should rest at home and recuperate fully before returning to school. This is also to reduce cross infection of other students and staff. The medical team will not hesitate to send a student home if they are unwell or considered to be infectious. (Please see our infection control policy.)

School Medicals

The Department of Health requires students to have a medical examination in Years 5, 9, 13 and for all new students. This is carried out by the school doctor and is a basic, non invasive procedure. You will be notified prior to the medical examination and will receive a report and advice once it has occurred. You have the choice to have your child excluded if you wish.

Immunisations

Every effort should be made to have your child’s vaccinations up to date prior to them starting at GEMS Wellington International School. Dubai Health Authority  requires that you submit a copy of your child’s vaccination record to the school nurse. This will be checked against the UAE immunisation schedule and you will be advised of outstanding vaccines. Students are not vaccinated at GEMS Wellington International School, this should be done privately.

Sun Care

Skin cancer is a serious concern, especially in Dubai where the sun shines almost everyday. Also, heat exhaustion is potential problem and steps must be taken to prevent it.

It is compulsory for students to wear a hat outside and we enforce a ‘no hat - no play’ policy. The legionnaire style Wellington hat is recommended as it protects the ears and the back of the neck. (Available from Threads in white or house colours.)
We encourage you to apply a factor 30+ sunscreen lotion to your child’s skin before school, especially on Physical Education days and for school outings. Older students can carry a tub of sunscreen in their school bags to apply as needed.
Students are encouraged to drink water regularly at school and drinking water is available at numerous points around the school. During the warmer months, students are encouraged to remain in shaded areas and not to run around outside to prevent their bodies from over heating and dehydrating.

Snack Boxes

To support your child’s concentration at school, please encourage them to have nutritious food in their snack boxes.

Examples of healthy and filling snacks are:

• A sandwich with a nutritious filling such as cheese, chicken, tuna, salad, etc.
• Savoury rice salad
• Pasta
• Pita bread or bread sticks with a cheese dip, hummus, etc.
• Salad snack such as cucumber sticks, carrots, celery
• Bran muffins, banana bread, carrot cake, savoury scones, etc.
• Any fruit
• Yoghurt
• Healthy drinks: 2 drinks should be packed of which one is water.

Milk (preferably not flavoured) Fruit juice (preferably not sweetened)
Fruit juice diluted in water
* Sweets, cakes and sweet biscuits are strongly discouraged.
* Fizzy drinks and chewing gum are not allowed.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to the fact that there are students with nut allergies, nuts and food containing nut protein are strictly forbidden. A peanut allergy can result in a potentially fatal anaphylactic reaction. The parents of these students trust you to ensure your child does not bring nuts to school and a school community we work together to ensure that all members of the community are cared for and supported.

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