Report of the Department of Health / New Zealand.

  • New Zealand. Department of Health.
Date:
[1957]
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Report of the Department of Health / New Zealand. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    31/116 (page 31)
    ENVIRONMENTAL SANITATION Although public health now includes many functions, the mainten¬ ance of a healthy environment is still of the utmost importance and is truly the foundation on which all public health is built. The provision of safe water supplies, adequate drainage systems, and satisfactory dis¬ posal of refuse are now accepted in the public mind as being desirable and necessary, and as they are provided by community effort, as repre¬ sented by local authorities, the plan of action is well defined. This, how¬ ever, is not enough, and many infectious diseases are still spread by contaminated and infected food. The public mind is still a long way from appreciating the importance of the hygenic handling of food. Furthermore, in this section of environmental sanitation- community action has a very limited scope. It can require the registration of food premises and their proper construction and equipment, but beyond that the maintenance of safe conditions lies in the hands of individual food handlers, which includes all housewives as well as those who work in eatinghouses, food factories, and food shops. The only weapon we can employ is health education, and this can become effective only gradually. Offensive Trades The new Health Act has an important new provision concerning offensive trades. Any local authority whose boundary is within five miles of the site of a proposed offensive trade now has a right to be notified of the proposal, and may appeal against its establishment. In the past many offensive trades have been established within the jurisdiction of a County Council but have been near enough to a city or borough to be the cause of offence to its inhabitants. The operation of this new provision will be watched with interest. OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH All figures in the following tables relates to the calendar year 1956. Industrial Health Centres The six centres staffed by departmental nurses have continued during the year to provide a service to local industry. The following table sets out the attendances at each centre: Table 11—Attendances at Industrial Health Centres, 1956 District Centre Attendances Referred to— First Re-dressings Total Own Doctor Hospital Auckland Penrose 2,793 4,938 7,731 95 186 Queens Wharf . . 8,491 8,357 16,848 1,053 269 Wellington Waterfront 3,362 1,754 5,116 378 316 Christchurch . . Woolston 981 430 1,411 89 17 Lyttelton Waterfront 2,204 2,045 4,249 312 27