There is the suggestion that the collapse of more than 20 students of St. Martin’s Senior High School at Nsawam in the Eastern Region could be attributed to panic attacks and not the onset of an outbreak of some disease.
The Medical Superintendent of the Nsawam Government Hospital, Dr. Kofi Ablorh said this would not be out of the ordinary for St. Martins in particular.
Speaking on Eyewitness News, he said these collapses occurred every year.
“We’ve seen a special trend with, especially St. Martins. Normally when they are about to start their exams, some of them are found in this condition. We think that exam phobia, something of that sort, but then there is nothing medically about this. It is the normal trend, especially with St. Martins. It is something that we have been seeing every year.”
The public is on edge at such reports following the suspected outbreak of swine flu that has resulted in four deaths at the Kumasi Academy in the Ashanti Region.
A student of Koforidua Secondary Technical School also died from a meningitis infection over the weekend.
But Dr. Kofi Ablorh said the hospital’s investigations had shown that the reported cases were “nothing serious.”
“Yesterday [Sunday], in the evening up to this morning [Monday], we have had about 20 students from the St. Martin’s Senior High School. Most of them, about 18 of them came complaining of heartaches and some of them were reported to have collapsed. In fact, we did all investigations and we realized that there was nothing serious. All their vital organs were working. Everything was fine and within few minutes they were discharged. Yesterday [Monday], we had ten of them and this morning [Monday], we had ten.”
Insurance for students
The concerns with student health have informed the National Council of Parent Teacher Associations’ decision to put in place an insurance package for senior high school students nationwide.
The council revealed to Citi News that agreement with an insurance company to charge each student GHc 7.00 a term has been reached.
The Ghana Education Service is also in favour of this move.
-Citifmonline