Haiti - Health : A National School Health Policy, a first in Haiti
On February 6 during a workshop, representatives of the Ministries of National Education and Public Health finalized the National School Health Policy (PNSS) developed with the technical support of the International Francophone Network for Health Promotion and the Pan American Health Organization / World Health Organization (PAHO / WHO), which thus reinforces its commitment to support cross-sectoral work for health promotion.
The executives of the two ministries have reviewed in detail the lines of this policy. In his introductory remarks Erold Joseph, head of the School Health Department of the Ministry of Education, stressed the importance of the interdependence between health and education, in the context of the development of a country "healthy students learn better and educated people are healthier," explaining that to achieve joint efforts, health, education, safety and environment are necessary.
Recall that the link between education and health is all the more critical, as Haiti has a very young population, the data from the EMMUS VI survey, 2016-17 places the median age at 23 and specifies that about 35.9% are children under 15 years of age.
This PNSS, a first in Haiti, highlights the importance of school health. Its main lines of intervention are aligned with the PAHO / WHO action plan for the health of women, children and adolescents (2018-2030), a plan which proposes an integrated approach to strengthen health and well-being throughout the life cycle and that the Sustainable Development Goals to which Haiti has adhered, will be achieved by 2030.
As such, this PNSS will guarantee students health promotion in schools, the school environment, health education, school health and nutrition services and care. At the end of its development, this National School Health Policy will be initialed by the two ministries in order to ensure its implementation.
