The school just happened to be having health checks for all the children today. When I realized this, I had my husband call to make sure the health check would be complete before I arrived. Part of universal healthcare is making sure everyone has access to health benefits. So, schools have health professionals come in throughout the year to provide various general screenings. Since the beginning of the school year in April, my son's classmates have had a cursory screening of his teeth and eyes. We were on vacation for the eye exam, so we were given a paper to go to a local eye doctor to complete the exam. But my son was at school for the dental exam. He reported the dentist just used a mirror to look into his mouth. My son, who loves going to the dentist, was sad he didn't get to sit in the "fun" chair.
When I arrived at the school, my son's class was lined up in front of the teacher's room. Each child was wearing their school uniform smock and shorts, sans shirts. Many of the boys got a hoot out of me feigning shock when they opened their smocks to bare their chest. From where I was standing in the school entrance, I could see a doctor in the teacher's room. Each child approached the doctor with the aid of the vice principal. The doctor listened to the kid's heart and lungs, as well as checked their skin (I heard that they are checking for signs of physical abuse in addition to skin abnormalities). If there are any issues, a note will be sent home for the child to seek further medical attention.
Although my son was not ready to leave when I had specified that he needed to be ready to go (which is very not Japanese), I was glad I was able to see the how the health check worked. It is one thing to get a 5 year olds interpretation, and something else to actually see it with my own eyes. It reminded me of the scenes of children getting their polio sugar cubes in the 60's. Line 'um up and get it done!
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