According to WHO and UNICEF the concern for students and children’s health should be the essential element of the healthcare policy of the countries in the world. Healthcare preventive system for school-age population, with 100-year tradition and history in Poland, is one of the most important areas of that policy. The term of unequal accessibility to healthcare grows in meaning and is closely connected with diversifi ed level of society development. Fifth International Conference in Mexico City in 2000 dedicated to healthcare promotion, had its motto of decreasing inequality in healthcare and pointed to the differences in social development as the main determinant of inequality in healthcare all over the world.

Aim. The aim of the survey was presenting current situation in the prophylactic health care of pupils in the Lubelskie Province considering the conditions for realisation of tasks within the healthcare.

Material and methods. The survey involved 400 school nurses, which accounted for 90% of all health care professionals in Lubelskie Province. The study made use of data from statistical forms MZ-06 in school year 2006/2007.

The accessibility to preventive healthcare and pre-medical offi ces, as separate places for healthcare service provision for pupils in schools as well as the equipment, were assessed.

Results. In Lubelskie Province in 2006/07, the preventive healthcare offi ces were in 72% of all types of schools. From among all offi ces, 75% were functioning independently, while in ¼ of schools they were used with other schools. Considering the data from Mother and Child Institute, great differences between individual provinces in Poland in proportion of schools equipped with health care offi ces should be emphasized. Lubelskie province features 92% of the schools with preventive offi ces in cities (12 ranking in the country), while only 25% in village schools (13 ranking in the country).

Conclusion. The results of the study in Lubelskie province among school nurses allow us for making initial analysis of the accessibility to preventive healthcare system for children and teens in education and training environment. In the field of public health, activities focused on reduction of inequality to healthcare system accessibility both on the global and EU level, are observed. Intensifi cation of such activities among the youngest children would be advantageous as investing in their health brings measurable socio-economic benefits for the country as a whole.